Multifunctional Starch‐Based Sensor with Non‐Covalent Network to Achieve “3R” Circulation
Jianfang Li, Yongfu Deng, Hao Fu, Yuwei Zhang, Yuancheng Zhang, Lihua Fu, Chuanhui Xu, Baofeng Lin
Abstract
Abstract With the consumption of disposable electronic devices increasing, it is meaningful but also a big challenge to develop reusable and sustainable materials to replace traditional single‐use sensors. Herein, a clever strategy for constructing a multifunctional sensor with 3R circulation (renewable, reusable, pollution‐reducing biodegradable) is presented, in which silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with multiple interactions are introduced into a reversible non‐covalent cross‐linking network composed of biocompatible and degradable carboxymethyl starch (CMS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to simultaneously obtain high mechanical conductivity and long‐term antibacterial properties by a one‐pot method. Surprisingly, the assembled sensor shows high sensitivity (gauge factor up to 4.02), high conductivity (0.1753 S m −1 ), low detection limit (0.5%), long‐term antibacterial ability (more than 7 days), and stable sensing performance. Thus, the CMS/PVA/AgNPs sensor can not only accurately monitor a series of human behavior, but also identify handwriting recognition from different people. More importantly, the abandoned starch‐based sensor can form a 3R circulation. Especially, the fully renewable film still shows excellent mechanical performance, achieving reusable without sacrificing its original function. Therefore, this work provides a new horizon for multifunctional starch‐based materials as sustainable substrates for replacing traditional single‐use sensors.