A team from the Kalow and Kulik labs investigate the relationship between conjugate acceptor structure, kex, and viscoelasticity for conjugate addition-elimination using a series of dithioalkylidenes and their corresponding hydrogels. By incorporating the corresponding cross-links into photopolymerized hydrogels, they further demonstrated that the hydrogel’s characteristic stress relaxation time (τ) is directly proportional to molecular kex. Overall, they demonstrate that mechanistic insight into cross-link exchange and parametrization of cross-link reactivity enable the design of materials with targeted viscoelasticity.
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