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Multi-functional and multi-responsive layered double hydroxide-reinforced polyacrylic acid composite hydrogels as ionic skin sensors

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Abstract

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and other fields, flexible devices with various functions and response capabilities have become necessary for human–computer interaction. Hydrogels have a bionic three-dimensional elastic crosslinked aqueous polymer network, making them ideal biocompatible flexible sensing materials. In this study, the conductive composite hydrogels with enhanced mechanical properties, transparency, UV shielding, and adhesion were prepared using the interaction between the alternating ionic layer structure of layered double hydroxide nanosheets and acrylic acid. The conductive composite hydrogels were mechanically sensitive and could monitor human motion, such as finger bending, wrist bending, and swallowing movements, and they could also achieve near-linear and self-powered temperature sensing. Moreover, the strong absorption of UV light led to different degrees of photoelectrochemical reactions in the hydrogels, resulting in the formation of ion concentration differences and spontaneous ion diffusion, thus realizing self-powered UV light detection in only a hydrogel material for the first time. Therefore, the as-prepared multi-functional composite hydrogel ionic skin sensors could sense force, temperature, and UV light, respectively, which is expected to facilitate the development of functionalization and the expansion of application fields of layered double hydroxides and hydrogels.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the State Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52130303), National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2016YFA0202302), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52103093 and 52173078), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2021M702424).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People’s Republic of China

    Yu Wang, Yunfei Yu, Fulai Zhao, Yiyu Feng & Wei Feng

  2. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, Tianjin, 300072, People’s Republic of China

    Yiyu Feng & Wei Feng

  3. Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300350, People’s Republic of China

    Yiyu Feng & Wei Feng

  4. Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Mold, Ministry of Education, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450002, People’s Republic of China

    Yiyu Feng

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  1. Yu Wang
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  2. Yunfei Yu
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  3. Fulai Zhao
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  4. Yiyu Feng
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  5. Wei Feng
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Contributions

The whole work was done under the supervision and guidance of Wei Feng. Yu Wang designed and completed the experiments, performed data collection and analysis, and wrote the manuscript. Yunfei Yu provided some experimental ideas and help. Fulai Zhao and Yiyu Feng helped to revise the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Wei Feng.

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Wang, Y., Yu, Y., Zhao, F. et al. Multi-functional and multi-responsive layered double hydroxide-reinforced polyacrylic acid composite hydrogels as ionic skin sensors. Adv Compos Hybrid Mater 6, 65 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-023-00653-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-023-00653-0

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