Preparation of high strength, self-healing conductive hydrogel based on polysaccharide and its application in sensor

Abstract

The development of cost-effective, eco-friendly conductive hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties, self-healing capabilities, and non-toxicity holds immense significance in the realm of biosensors. The biosensors demonstrate promising applications in the fields of biomedical engineering and human motion detection. A unique double-network hydrogel was prepared through physical-chemical crosslinking using chitosan (CS), polyacrylic acid (AA), and sodium alginate (SA) as raw materials. The prepared double-network hydrogels exhibited exceptional mechanical properties, as well as self-healing and conductive capabilities. Polyacrylic acid as the first layer network, while chitosan and sodium alginate were incorporated to establish the second layer network through electrostatic interactions, thereby imparting self-healing and self-recovery properties. The hydrogel was subsequently immersed in the salt solution to induce network winding. The mechanical robustness of the hydrogel was significantly enhanced through synergistic coordination of covalent and non-covalent interactions. When the concentration of sodium alginate was 20 g/L, the double-network hydrogel exhibits enhanced mechanical properties, with a tensile fracture stress of up to 1.31 MPa and a strength of 4.17 MPa under 80% compressive deformation. Furthermore, the recovery rate of this double-network hydrogel reached an impressive 89.63% within a span of 30 min. After 24 h without any external forces, the self-healing rate reached 26.11%, demonstrating remarkable capabilities in terms of self-recovery and self-healing. Furthermore, this hydrogel exhibited consistent conductivity properties and was capable of detecting human finger movements. Hence, this study presents a novel approach for designing and synthesizing environmentally friendly conductive hydrogels for biosensors.