An analysis of six HEAA-related publications filed in September 2025 reveals the following application breakdown:
Application Area |
Count |
Reason for Using HEAA |
Coating Materials |
2 |
Excellent crosslinking and water resistance enhance durability |
Adhesives |
1 |
Strong substrate interaction via amide groups; effective in moist environments |
Battery Electrolytes |
1 |
High hydrophilicity and improved ion conductivity |
Biomedical Materials |
1 |
Biocompatibility and flexibility; enables controlled drug release |
3DPrinting Materials |
1 |
Thermal responsiveness and shape-memory behavior for smart designs |
Why HEAA Is Selected (Based on Publication Content)
- High Crosslinking Efficiency: Strong polymer networks after curing improve mechanical durability
- Balanced Hydrophilicity and Adhesion: Hydroxyl and amide groups promote strong bonding to polar substrates
- Environmental & Safety Benefits: Enables formaldehyde-free formulations and SVHC-free designs
- Compatibility with Functional Materials: Suitable for shape-memory polymers and conductive composites
Representative Publications (from CSV file)
■ Coating Applications (2)
- Title: UV-curable Coatings Enhanced by HEAA Crosslinking Applicant: ABC Chemical Co., Ltd. Journal: Journal of Advanced Coatings Vol./Year/Page: Vol. 42, 2025, pp. 101–110
- Title: Abrasion-Resistant Films Using HEAA-Based Resin Systems Applicant: DEF Materials Inc. Journal: Surface & Interface Technology Vol./Year/Page: Vol. 37, No. 9, 2025, pp. 88–95
■ Adhesive Application (1)
- Title: Moisture-Tolerant Adhesives with HEAA Functionality Applicant: GHI Polymers Journal: International Journal of Adhesion Science Vol./Year/Page: Vol. 29, No. 3, 2025, pp. 45–52
■ Battery Electrolyte Application (1)
- Title: HEAA-PEG Hybrid Electrolytes for Lithium-Ion Batteries Applicant: JKL Energy Solutions Journal: Electrochemical Materials Reports Vol./Year/Page: Vol. 18, No. 5, 2025, pp. 120–128
■ Biomedical Application (1)
- Title: Controlled Drug Release via HEAA-Crosslinked Hydrogels Applicant: MNO Medical Journal: Biomedical Polymer Journal Vol./Year/Page: Vol. 11, No. 2, 2025, pp. 33–41
■ 3D Printing Application (1)
- Title: Shape-Memory 3D Printing Resins Based on HEAA Applicant: PQR Intelligent Materials Journal: Smart Manufacturing Materials Vol./Year/Page: Vol. 7, No. 4, 2025, pp. 76–83
Suggestion: How to use HEAA from latest study
- Article information
In the study by Zhang et al. (2025), a physically cross-linked bidirectional thermoresponsive hydrogel was developed based on N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide (HEAA) and acrylamide (AM), incorporating hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and lauryl methacrylate (LMA) micellar domains.
- Low temperature (6 °C): Aggregation of LMA micelles increases light scattering → opaque
- High temperature (~40 °C): HPC undergoes LCST transition, breaking hydrogen bonds → opaque
- Room temperature (18–26 °C): Maintains high transparency (Tlum ≈ 92%)
- Functions of HEAA and Comparison
HEAA provides strong hydrophilicity and hydrogen-bonding capacity. Compared with conventional PNIPAM or AM alone, it shows the following:
Property |
HEAA-based (this work) |
PNIPAM-based |
AM only |
LCST tunability |
24.8–39.6 °C (adjustable via LMA content) |
Fixed ~32 °C |
Unclear, generally no phase separation |
Low-temperature response (Tc) |
17.8–30.6 °C (micelle aggregation) |
None |
None |
Transparency (24 °C, 2 mm thick) |
Tlum = 92%, Tsol = 91.4% |
Tlum ≈ 80–85% (reported) |
High transparency but no thermal response |
Solar modulation (ΔTsol) |
Up to 81.6–82.9% |
~40–50% |
Low |
Response time |
30 s (40 °C), 60 s (6 °C) |
Minutes |
Slow |
Mechanical properties |
Elongation 1479–2458%, stress 0.19–0.68 MPa |
~500–1000% |
Brittle |
Self-healing |
93% (48 h) |
Low |
None |
Antifreezing |
Functional down to −44.3 °C (with DES) |
Breaks at −5 to −10 °C |
Breaks near −5 °C |
- Proposed Applications of HEAA
Thanks to its hydrophilicity and hydrogen-bonded network, HEAA is particularly suitable for water-soluble functional materials. Potential applications include:
- Smart window materials
- Bidirectional thermoresponse allows heat shielding in summer and insulation in winter.
- Tlum > 90%, ΔTsol ≈ 82% → exceeds architectural glass standards.
- Optical switching devices
- Transmittance can drop as low as 0.4% (low T) → ideal for information hiding, QR code displays, or optical encryption.
- Biomedical uses
- Low cytotoxicity due to hydrophilicity, with promising biocompatibility.
- Temperature-triggered drug release hydrogels or on-demand light-blocking films.
- Low-temperature functional gels
- Stable down to −44.3 °C with DES → useful for sensors or insulation in refrigerated environments.
- High-strength waterborne adhesives
- Hydrogen bonding and self-healing enable reversible, reusable water-based adhesives and films.
- List of Abbreviations
- HEAA: N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide
- AM: Acrylamide
- HPC: Hydroxypropyl Cellulose
- LMA: Lauryl Methacrylate
- CTAB: Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide
- DES: Deep Eutectic Solvent
- PNIPAM: Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)
- LCST: Lower Critical Solution Temperature
- Tc: Thermochromic transition temperature (temperature at which transparency ↔ opacity changes)
- Tlum: Integral luminous transmittance (visible light, 380–780 nm)
- Tsol: Solar transmittance (broadband 280–2500 nm)
- ΔTsol: Solar modulation ability (change in solar transmittance)
Conclusion
Compared to PNIPAM and AM, HEAA enables wide-range thermal responsiveness, fast optical switching, high transparency, antifeeding stability, and self-healing. The most promising real-world applications are smart windows for buildings and functional films for cold environments.