Luo, YiYiLuoPauer, WernerWernerPauerLuinstra, Gerrit A.Gerrit A.Luinstra2025-06-132025-06-132025-02-24Polymers 17 (5): 597 (2025)https://hdl.handle.net/11420/55816The effect of the presence of guar gum (0–0.75 wt%) in a thermo-responsive triple-network (TN) PVA/TA/PVA-MA-g-PNIPAAm hydrogel (PVA: polyvinyl alcohol; MA: methacrylate, PNIPAAm: poly-N-isopropyl acryl amide; TA: tannic acid) with respect to the structural, mechanical, and viscoelastic properties was mapped. A comprehensive analysis, using large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS), SEM imaging, XRD, and mechanical analysis revealed that guar enhances hydrogel crystallinity (up to 30% at 0.75 wt%), which goes along with a strain hardening. The hydrogel achieved superior mechanical performance at a gum concentration of 0.5 wt% with a 40% increase in shear-thickening, an enhanced strain tolerance in nonlinear regimes, and a good mechanical robustness (maximum elongation to break of 500% and stress of 620 kPa). The hydrogel with 0.5 wt% guar exhibited also a good thermal response (equilibrium swelling ratio changed from 8.4 at 5 °C to 2.5 at 50 °C) and an excellent thermal cycling dimensional stability. Higher guar concentrations reduce structural resilience, leading to brittle hydrogels with lower extensibility and viscoelastic stability.en2073-436020255MDPIhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/crystallinity | guar gum | large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS)Natural Sciences and Mathematics::540: ChemistryTechnology::620: Engineering::620.1: Engineering Mechanics and Materials ScienceJournal Articlehttps://doi.org/10.15480/882.1524510.3390/polym1705059710.15480/882.15245Journal Article