Intrinsically conductive polymer reinforced hydrogel with synergistic strength, toughness, and sensitivity for flexible motion-monitoring sensors
Mengke Zhao, Ting Wu, Xiaofa Wang, Long Liang, Hailong Lu, Zhanghong Xie, Tongqi Yuan, Guigan Fang
Abstract
Conductive hydrogels with remarkable flexibility and sensitivity have attracted substantial attention as a potential material for the construction philosophy of wearable electronics. Nevertheless, the development of high-performance hydrogels continues to be a significant challenge due to the inherent trade-off between conductivity and deformation adaptability. Here, a novel strategy is demonstrated for the preparation of intrinsically conductive reticulated polymer-based hydrogels (allylated hydroxyethyl cellulose-PEDOT:PSS/PAM hydrogel [AHEC-PP/PAM]) with mechanical robustness and perceptual sensitivity. The conductive reticulated component, AHEC-PP, is obtained by an ingenious polymerization involving AHEC and EDOT and demonstrates favorable dispersion and stability, with the treatment of H 2 SO 4 and the charge regulation of PSS. The AHEC-PP/PAM hydrogel has a tensile strength of 0.69 MPa, a fracture strain of 1,273%, a broad sensing range, and a high gauge factor of 7.86. The synergistic performance enables integration into smart wearable electronic devices for the detection of motion signals, electronic skin, and advanced human-machine interaction.