Citation: Gang Ma, Siyu Jin, Bo Zheng, Lingyan Gao. Bound Water: Intelligent Regulation from Biological Hydrogen-Bond Networks to Artificial Materials[J]. University Chemistry, ;2026, 41(4): 275-279. doi: 10.12461/PKU.DXHX202504088 shu

Bound Water: Intelligent Regulation from Biological Hydrogen-Bond Networks to Artificial Materials

Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, Shaanxi Province, China

Corresponding author: Bo Zheng, Lingyan Gao,
Received Date: 28 April 2025
Accepted Date: 30 June 2025

Bound water plays a pivotal role in maintaining biomacromolecular structures and facilitating their specific functions through mechanisms such as hydrogen-bond anchoring and hydrophobic association. Inspired by these natural phenomena, researchers have incorporated bound water as a functional structural unit into polymer networks through biomimetic design and molecular engineering. This innovative approach overcomes the conventional limitation of “water-induced softening” and instead utilizes water molecules to regulate material mechanical properties, enabling the fabrication of polymer materials with high toughness, environmental adaptability, and energy dissipation capabilities. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in polymer performance modulation through the introduction of bound water into polymer networks and the manipulation of interactions between bound water and polymeric structural elements.
- Bound water,
- Hydrogen bonding,
- Polymers,
- Mechanical property
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