Jian Ping GONG

    Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University
    website

    Bio-inspired Design of Functional Hydrogels: From Molecular Physics to Data-Driven Material Discovery

    The physics of soft condensed matter, particularly gels and elastomers, presents a formidable challenge in understanding how microscopic constraints dictate macroscopic behavior. These systems are characterized by a vast configurational design space, where the delicate interplay between weak molecular interactions and thermal fluctuations governs their complex viscoelastic response. Establishing robust structure-property relationships in these materials is non-trivial, as they exhibit coupling across multiple length and time scales—from molecular cross-linking to mesoscale inhomogeneities critical for emergent material functions.

    Biological tissues serve as a sophisticated blueprint for overcoming these challenges, utilizing multi-component, hierarchical architectures to achieve mechanical properties far beyond those of simple polymer networks. In this presentation, I will discuss our recent progress in synthesizing biomimetic hydrogels that emulate these natural systems. We will examine the physical principles of energy dissipation in tough double-network (DN) hydrogels, the non-equilibrium dynamics of metabolic-like hydrogels, and our recent efforts toward the data-driven design of underwater adhesion. By bridging synthetic chemistry, soft matter physics, and informatics, we aim to uncover the fundamental principles for designing next-generation materials with highly programmable functionalities.