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Physically crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan-phytic acid hydrogels for wearable sensors with highly conductive, recyclable and antibacterial properties

高导电性、 可回收和抗菌的物理交联聚乙烯醇/壳聚糖-植酸水凝胶用于可穿戴传感器

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Abstract

Conductive hydrogels as wearable sensors meet the basic requirements of mechanical flexibility and intelligent sensing. However, they are often hampered by problems such as the incompatibility between favorable mechanical properties and high conductivity, inferior antimicrobial ability and difficulty in recycling. Herein, highly conductive and physically cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan-phytic acid (PVA/CS-PA) hydrogels were developed by a facile freeze-thaw method. The hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction between PA and matrix of CS and PVA endow hydrogels with not only moderate mechanical properties and high degree of ductility, but also meaningfully recyclable characteristics. In addition, the hydrogel exhibits superior conductivity (~0.125 S cm−1) and antimicrobial activity, benefiting from the ionic conductivity and antibacterial capacity of PA molecules. These exceptional properties enable the hydrogel-based wearable sensors to exhibit strain-sensitive properties (a gauge factor of 7.21 under strains of 200%–420%), which could monitor various activities of human body. More interestingly, the PVA/CS-PA sol ink could be transformed into a gel state in an ice bath, which would meet the need of flexible circuit and make wearable sensors more portable.

摘要

导电水凝胶作为可穿戴式传感器满足了机械灵活性和智能感应的基本要求. 然而, 它们往往遇到一些问题, 如良好的机械性能和高导电性之间的不相容性、 较差的抗菌能力和难以回收. 在此, 我们通过简单的冻融方法开发了高导电性物理交联的聚乙烯醇/壳聚糖-植酸(PVA/CS-PA)水凝胶. PA与CS和PVA基质之间的氢键和静电作用不仅赋予了水凝胶适宜的机械性能和良好的延展性, 而且还使其具备有意义的可回收特性. 此外, 由于PA分子的离子传导性和抗菌能力, 该水凝胶表现出卓越的导电性(~0.125 S cm−1)和抗菌活性. 这些特殊的性能使基于该水凝胶的可穿戴传感器表现出应变敏感的特性(在200%–420% 的应变下, 应变系数为7.21), 可以监测人体的各种活动. 此外, PVA/CSPA溶胶墨水可以在冰浴环境下转变为凝胶状态, 这将满足柔性电路的需要, 并使可穿戴式传感器更加便携.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Department of Jilin Province (20210101067JC and 20230101353JC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Polymeric and Soft Materials Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Advanced Institute of Materials Science, Changchun University of Technology, Changchun, 130012, China

    Lingjun Zeng  (曾玲君), Bo Liu  (刘博) & Guanghui Gao  (高光辉)

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  1. Lingjun Zeng  (曾玲君)
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  2. Bo Liu  (刘博)
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  3. Guanghui Gao  (高光辉)
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Contributions

Author contributions Zeng L and Liu B designed and performed the experiments; Zeng L wrote the paper; Gao G revised the manuscript. All authors contributed to the general discussion.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guanghui Gao  (高光辉).

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Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Lingjun Zeng is currently a PhD candidate at the Polymeric and Soft Materials Laboratory, majored in chemical engineering and technology at Changchun University of Technology. Her current research focuses on the design and synthesis of functional hydrogel materials as well as their applications for wearable sensors.

Guanghui Gao is a professor at the School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Institute of Materials Science, Changchun University of Technology. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and PhD degree from Sungkyunkwan University, Korea. He founded the Polymeric and Soft Materials Laboratory at Changchun University of Technology. His current research focuses on the application of polymer hydrogels in medical dressings, flexible sensing, and energy storage.

Supplementary information Experimental details and supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

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Physically crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan-phytic acid hydrogels for wearable sensors with highly conductive, recyclable and antibacterial properties

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Zeng, L., Liu, B. & Gao, G. Physically crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan-phytic acid hydrogels for wearable sensors with highly conductive, recyclable and antibacterial properties. Sci. China Mater. 66, 4062–4070 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-023-2530-4

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