Chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) are a class of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) widely found in dyes and pharmaceuticals. We have introduced chromonic liquid crystals, which are composed of spontaneously-stacked molecules to form rod-like aggregates, into ionic polymer gels as secondary crosslinking points. Chromonic aggregates mediated in the gels via ionic bonds make the gels stronger. In this study, we investigated the mechanical properties of positively charged polymer gels by introducing an excess amount of negatively charged chromonic liquid crystals.
