Highly stretchable, self-healable and adhesive, thermal responsive conductive hydrogel loading nanocellulose complex for a flexible sensor

Abstract

Currently, with the widespread concerns of smart soft sensors in wearable electronics, human health detection and electronic skin, flexible conductive hydrogels have been extensively studied. However, it remains a great challenge to develop hydrogels that have both satisfactory mechanical performance with stretchable and compressible and high conductive. Herein, based on synergistic dynamic hydrogen and metal coordination bonds, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogels doped with polypyrrole decorated cellulose nanofibers (CNFs@PPy) are developed via free radical polymerization. The loading versatile CNFs@PPy highlighted the complex hydrogels super-stretchability (approximately 2600 % elongation) and excellent toughness (2.74 MJ/m3) properties to tensile deformation, strong compressive strength (1.96 MPa), fast temperature responsiveness and outstanding strain sensing capability (GF = 3.13). Moreover, the PHEMA/PVA/CNFs@PPy hydrogels possessed rapid self-healing and powerful adhesive abilities to various interfaces without extra assistance, as well as distinguished fatigue resistance performance. Such advantages make the nanocomposite hydrogel displayed high stability and repeatable to both pressure and strain in a wide range of deformations, enabling a promising candidate in the fields of motion monitoring and healthcare management.