Written by Adam Hadhazy Dec. 19, 2023 Xiaohui Xu, a postdoc in the lab of PMI's Rodney Priestley, is lead author of a new study on the recyclable hydrogel. Princeton researchers have created a new type of hydrogel that is recyclable, yet still tough and stable enough for practical use (and reuse). As flexible networks of polymer chains suffused by water, hydrogels possess excellent properties including softness, elasticity and biocompatibility. Accordingly, the squishy materials have already found widespread use as contact lenses and wound dressings. Hydrogels also hold great promise for drug delivery systems, agriculture and food packaging, among other applications. Unfortunately, conventional hydrogels pose environmental pollution problems because they cannot be effectively recycled or reprocessed. The study’s lead author, Xiaohui Xu, a postdoctoral researcher, previously worked with hydrogels for use in water purification and wondered if she could create a more environmentally sustainable hydrogel. Xu and her colleagues took a new approach to building hydrogels. Rather than relying on chemical bonds to connect different polymers, the researchers decided to harness phase separation, a familiar phenomenon in which mixed liquids, such as oil and water, separate into components. Photo by Dan Komoda Source Princeton Engineering website