Self-healing Conductive Hydrogel Research Articles

Tough, self-healing, adhesive double network conductive hydrogel based on gelatin-polyacrylamide covalently bridged by oxidized sodium alginate for durable wearable sensors

Pursuing high-performance conductive hydrogels is still hot topic in development of advanced flexible wearable devices. Herein, a tough, self-healing, adhesive double network (DN) conductive hydrogel (named as OSA-(Gelatin/PAM)-Ca, O-(G/P)-Ca) was prepared by bridging gelatin and polyacrylamide network with functionalized polysaccharide (oxidized sodium alginate, OSA) through Schiff base reaction. Thanks to the presence of multiple interactions (Schiff base bond, hydrogen bond, and metal coordination) within the network, the prepared hydrogel showed outstanding mechanical properties (tensile strain of 2800 % and stress of 630 kPa), high conductivity (0.72 S/m), repeatable adhesion performance and excellent self-healing ability (83.6 %/79.0 % of the original tensile strain/stress after self-healing). Moreover, the hydrogel-based sensor exhibited high strain sensitivity (GF = 3.66) and fast response time (<0.5 s), which can be used to monitor a wide range of human physiological signals. Based on this, excellent compression sensitivity (GF = 0.41 kPa−1 in the range of 90–120 kPa), a three-dimensional (3D) array of flexible sensor was designed to monitor the intensity of pressure and spatial force distribution. In addition, a gel-based wearable sensor was accurately classified and recognized ten types of gestures, achieving an accuracy rate of >96.33 % both before and after self-healing under three machine learning models (the decision tree, SVM, and KNN). This paper provides a simple method to prepare tough and self-healing conductive hydrogel as flexible multifunctional sensor devices for versatile applications in fields such as healthcare monitoring, human-computer interaction, and artificial intelligence.

Self-Healing Conductive Hydrogels with Dynamic Dual Network Structure Accelerate Infected Wound Healing via Photothermal Antimicrobial and Regulating Inflammatory Response.

Wound infections are an escalating clinical challenge with continuous inflammatory response and the threat of drug-resistant bacteria. Herein, a series of self-healing conductive hydrogels were designed based on carboxymethyl chitosan/oxidized sodium alginate/polymerized gallic acid/Fe3+ (CMC/OSA/pGA/Fe3+, COGFe) for promoting infected wound healing. The Schiff base and catechol-Fe3+ chelation in the dynamical dual network structure of the hydrogels endowed dressings with good toughness, conductivity, adhesion, and self-healing properties, thus flexibly adapting to the deformation of skin wounds. In terms of ultraviolet (UV) resistance and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the hydrogels significantly reduced oxidative stress at the wound site. Additionally, the hydrogels with photothermal therapy (PTT) achieved a 95% bactericidal rate in 5 min of near-infrared (NIR) light radiation by disrupting the bacterial cell membrane structure through elevated temperature. Meanwhile, the inherent antimicrobial properties of GA could reduce healthy tissue damage caused by excessive heat. The composite hydrogels could effectively promote the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts and possess good biocompatibility and hemostatic effect. In full-thickness infected wound repair experiments in rats, the COGFe5 hydrogel combined with NIR effectively killed bacteria, modulated macrophage polarization (M1 to M2 phenotype) to improve the immune microenvironment of the wound, and shortened the repair time by accelerating the expression of collagen deposition (TGF-β) and vascular factors (CD31). This combined therapy might provide a prospective strategy for infectious wound treatment.

Mussel-inspired sticky self-healing conductive hydrogels composites for physiological electrical sensing

Inspired by mussels, this work introduces a self-healing conductive adhesive that not only adheres tenaciously to various surfaces in wet conditions but also demonstrates exceptional conductivity for the detection of electrophysiological signals.

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

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.

A Bioinspired Self-Healing Conductive Hydrogel Promoting Peripheral Nerve Regeneration.

The development of self-healing conductive hydrogels is critical in electroactive nerve tissue engineering. Typical conductive materials such as polypyrrole (PPy) are commonly used to fabricate artificial nerve conduits. Moreover, the field of tissue engineering has advanced toward the use of products such as hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels. Although HA-modified PPy films are prepared for various biological applications, the cell-matrix interaction mechanisms remain poorly understood; furthermore, there are no reports on HA-modified PPy-injectable self-healing hydrogels for peripheral nerve repair. Therefore, in this study, a self-healing electroconductive hydrogel (HASPy) from HA, cystamine (Cys), and pyrrole-1-propionic acid (Py-COOH), with injectability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and nerve-regenerative capacity is constructed. The hydrogel directly targets interleukin 17 receptor A (IL-17RA) and promotes the expression of genes and proteins relevant to Schwann cell myelination mainly by activating the interleukin 17 (IL-17) signaling pathway. The hydrogel is injected directly into the rat sciatic nerve-crush injury sites to investigate its capacity for nerve regeneration in vivo and is found to promote functional recovery and remyelination. This study may help in understanding the mechanism of cell-matrix interactions and provide new insights into the potential use of HASPy hydrogel as an advanced scaffold for neural regeneration.

Exosome/metformin-loaded self-healing conductive hydrogel rescues microvascular dysfunction and promotes chronic diabetic wound healing by inhibiting mitochondrial fission.

Chronic diabetic wounds remain a globally recognized clinical challenge. They occur due to high concentrations of reactive oxygen species and vascular function disorders. A promising strategy for diabetic wound healing is the delivery of exosomes, comprising bioactive dressings. Metformin activates the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway, thereby improving angiogenesis in hyperglycemic states. However, multifunctional hydrogels loaded with drugs and bioactive substances synergistically promote wound repair has been rarely reported, and the mechanism of their combinatorial effect of exosome and metformin in wound healing remains unclear. Here, we engineered dual-loaded hydrogels possessing tissue adhesive, antioxidant, self-healing and electrical conductivity properties, wherein 4-armed SH-PEG cross-links with Ag+, which minimizes damage to the loaded goods and investigated their mechanism of promotion effect for wound repair. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes exhibiting good conductivity were also incorporated into the hydrogels to generate hydrogen bonds with the thiol group, creating a stable three-dimensional structure for exosome and metformin loading. The diabetic wound model of the present study suggests that the PEG/Ag/CNT-M+E hydrogel promotes wound healing by triggering cell proliferation and angiogenesis and relieving peritraumatic inflammation and vascular injury. The mechanism of the dual-loaded hydrogel involves reducing the level of reactive oxygen species by interfering with mitochondrial fission, thereby protecting F-actin homeostasis and alleviating microvascular dysfunction. Hence, we propose a drug-bioactive substance combination therapy and provide a potential mechanism for developing vascular function-associated strategies for treating chronic diabetic wounds.

A Simple and Effective Physical Ball-Milling Strategy to Prepare Super-Tough and Stretchable PVA@MXene@PPy Hydrogel for Flexible Capacitive Electronics.

Biomimetic flexible electronics for E-skin have received increasing attention, due to their ability to sense various movements. However, the development of smart skin-mimic material remains a challenge. Here, a simple and effective approach is reported to fabricate super-tough, stretchable, and self-healing conductive hydrogel consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Ti3 C2 Tx MXene nanosheets, and polypyrrole (PPy) (PMP hydrogel). The MXene nanosheets and Fe3+ serve as multifunctional cross-linkers and effective stress transfer centers, to facilitate a considerable high conductivity, super toughness, and ultra-high stretchability (elongation up to 4300%) for the PMP hydrogel with. The hydrogels also exhibit rapid self-healing and repeatable self-adhesive capacity because of the presence of dynamic borate ester bond. The flexible capacitive strain sensor made by PMP hydrogel shows a relatively broad range of strain sensing (up to 400%), with a self-healing feature. The sensor can precisely monitor various human physiological signals, including joint movements, facial expressions, and pulse waves. The PMP hydrogel-based supercapacitor is demonstrated with a high capacitance retention of ≈92.83% and a coulombic efficiency of ≈100%.

Enhancing Conductivity and Self-Healing Properties of PVA/GEL/OSA Composite Hydrogels by GO/SWNTs for Electronic Skin.

The use of flexible, self-healing conductive hydrogels as a type of typical electronic skin with the function of transmitting sensory signals has attracted wide attention in the field of biomaterials. In this study, composite hydrogels based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gelatin (GEL), oxidized sodium alginate (OSA), graphene oxide (GO), and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were successfully prepared. The hydrogen and imine bonding of the composite hydrogels gives them excellent self-healing properties. Their self-healing properties restore 68% of their breaking strength and over 95% of their electrical conductivity. The addition of GO and SWNTs enables the PGO-GS hydrogels to achieve a compressive modulus and conductivity of 42.2 kPa and 29.6 mS/m, which is 8.2 times and 1.5 times that of pure PGO, respectively. Furthermore, the PGO-GS hydrogels can produce profound feedback signals in response to deformation caused by external forces and human movements such as finger flexion and speech. In addition, the PGO-GS hydrogels exhibit superior biocompatibility compared to PGO. All of these results indicate that the PGO-GS hydrogels have great potential with respect to future applications in the field of electronic skin.

Design of a highly flexible, self-healing, conductive and antimicrobial hydrogel with organic-inorganic network structure

A simple strategy to develop a conductive and antimicrobial self-healing hydrogel with organic-inorganic network was more conducive to actual production and application. Herein, we report a simple strategy (one-pot radical polymerization) to prepare self-healing conductive hydrogels based on alkaline calcium bentonite (ACBt)/poly (acrylic acid) (PAA). The ACBt participated in the construction of organic-inorganic crosslinking networks of hydrogels through acid-base neutralization reactions between its active -Ca-OH group and acrylic acid. Additionally, ACBt, as an inorganic crosslinker, endows hydrogels with extraordinary sensing ability, and it does not require tedious organic modification. Thus, satisfactory mechanical properties were achieved, including excellent tensile strength of 0.74 MPa, high tensile strain of 3880%, and extraordinary toughness of 3.596 MJ/m3. Moreover, the abundant –COOH groups on the PAA chain could promote the strong hydrogen bond interaction between the organic-inorganic network structure, thus endowing the hydrogel with excellent self-healing ability. More importantly, the ACBt/PAA conductive hydrogels exhibit excellent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacteria) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacteria), which have potential applications as flexible antibacterial materials to monitor movements of the human body in real time.

Highly sensitive and self-healing conductive hydrogels fabricated from cationic cellulose nanofiber-dispersed liquid metal for strain sensors

The emergence of liquid metal (LM) emulsion as a soft multifunctional filler brings a new opportunity for fabricating hydrogel-based strain sensors with multifunctional properties. However, the extremely large surface tension and high density of LMs inhibit emulsification. Herein, we demonstrated a strategy for stabilizing LM emulsions using cationic cellulose nanofibers (CCNFs) to encapsulate LM droplets through strong electrostatic attraction with LM. By inducing acrylic acid (AA) polymerization in the presence of a CCNF-stabilized LM emulsion, a conductive hydrogel was prepared with the formation of reversible hydrogen bonds, ionic coordination, and electrostatic interactions among CCNFs, LM droplets, and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). The hydrogel obtained, named the CCNF-LM-PAA hydrogel, shows good conductivity (1.54 S m−1), remarkable tensile strength and elongation at break, self-adhesiveness, and quick self-healing capability. As a strain-sensing material, the CCNF-LM-PAA hydrogel exhibits a very high sensing sensitivity (gauge factor = 16.2), a low strain detection limit (less than 1%), a short response/recovery time (107/91 ms), and good durability (300 cycles). These results enable the CCNF-LM-PAA hydrogel-based strain sensor to be an excellent wearable device for monitoring various human activities. Therefore, introducing additional electrostatic interactions by using CCNFs to stabilize LM emulsions provides a practical way to enhance the strain-sensing performance of LM emulsion-based hydrogels for assembling self-attached wearable devices.

A self-healing and conductive ionic hydrogel based on polysaccharides for flexible sensors

An ionic hydrogel based on polysaccharides with self-healing and conductive properties serves as the flexible sensors to record the information of pressing Morse codes and browsing web pages with a mobile phone. In this study, we proposed a self-healing conductive hydrogel based on polysaccharides and Li + to serve as flexible sensors. At first, the oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) was obtained through the oxidation reaction of sodium alginate (SA). Then OSA, carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC), and agarose (AGO) were dissolved in LiCl solution, respectively. Finally, the hydrogel was obtained through heating, mixing, and cooling processes. Because of the Schiff base structure and hydrogen bonding, the hydrogel demonstrates good mechanical and self-healing properties. The presence of Li + provides good conductivity for the hydrogel. In addition, we demonstrated the application of the hydrogel as the flexible sensors. It can perceive the process of pressing Morse code with the index finger as a pressure sensor and monitor sliding movement of the thumb as the strain sensor to browse the web with the mobile phone. Thus, the self-healing conductive hydrogel may have potential applications in flexible wearable sensors.

Conductive self-healing biodegradable hydrogel based on hyaluronic acid-grafted-polyaniline as cell recruitment niches and cell delivery carrier for myogenic differentiation and skeletal muscle regeneration

Scaffold is one of the most important roles in skeletal muscle tissue engineering. Being capable of mimicking extracellular matrix components, having electrical conductivity, and recruiting cells proactively to meet the cell-free requests are the proper characteristics of tissue engineering scaffolds. In this work, a series of leucine (Leu) loaded self-healing conductive hydrogels based on aminated hyaluronic acid-graft-polyaniline (AHA-PANI) and oxidized hyaluronic (OHA) were prepared for skeletal muscle tissue engineering. Leu can promote skeletal myogenesis and hydrogel can provide a suitable growth environment for cells. They have self-healing properties, antioxidant activity, suitable modulus, good electrical conductivity, high porosity, and proper swelling ratio. Additionally, these hydrogels have good cytocompatibility and can provide a 3D culture environment for C2C12 and hADSC cells. The Leu-loaded hydrogel has recruiting ability of cells and can promote myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells. Besides, these hydrogels enable sustained cell delivery, and have good in vivo degradability and exhibited promoting effect on skeletal muscle regeneration in the rat tibialis anterior muscle defect model with reduced post-repair inflammatory factor expression and enhanced myogenic differentiation-related gene expression. All the results indicated that these conductive hydrogels as self-healing cell recruitment niches are excellent biomaterial for the treatment of volumetric muscle loss injury.

YENİLİKÇİ KENDİNDEN İYİLEŞEN HİDROJEL KOMPOZİT OLARAK AZOT KATKILI KARBON KUANTUM DOTS-GELLAN GUM

Tension sensors can be widely applied to detect body movements and monitor physiological signals. Hydrogels with conductive properties draw attention among the studies in this field. However, their application is limited because hydrogels can be easily damaged during use. In this study, a self-healing conductive hydrogel was produced by adding nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) to gellan gum (GG) polymer. The self-healing property of the hydrogen bonds in the prepared polymeric matrix network to a certain extent and the conductivity were supported by the addition of NCQDs. The electrical recovery process of the hydrogel in the 1, 2, and 3 cutting/healing cycles was illustrated by a visually designed LED bulb serial circuit. As a result of connecting the obtained 3D hydrogel to a real-time resistance change measurement system, the resistance changes in the cutting/healing cycles were monitored. The duration of the total cut-healing process, including cut and contact time, was 2.12 s. In addition, a free-standing gel bridge was formed after joining the two cut pieces of cylindrical hydrogels. Due to the resulting hydrogel composite properties, it has promising potential in various applications such as personal health diagnosis, human activity monitoring, and human-motion sensors.

Skin-friendly PVA/PDA/Tyr-PEAm composite hydrogel with long-term antibacterial and self-recovery ability for wearable strain/pressure sensor

Flexible and self-healing conductive hydrogel, as a typical electronic skin with the function of transmitting sensory signals, has attracted remarkable attentions in the biomaterials field. However, the practical application of electronic skin has been severely limited owing to the potential bacterial infection threats. Here, in order to improve the antibacterial properties of electronic skin, a star-shaped polyetheramide (Tyr-PEAm) derived from L-tyrosine was synthesized and cross-linked into the hydrogel network. A compliant and self-healing conductive hydrogel (defined as PVA/PDA/Tyr-PEAm) was assembled from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polydopamine (PDA) and Tyr-PEAm. The hydrogel achieved a comprehensive performance of long-term antibacterial activity (the inhibition zones remained unchanged over 7 days), low hemolysis activity (hemolysis rate of 0.042 %), good conductivity and rapid self-healing ability (healing within 1 s). Therefore, the hydrogel could be used not only as a detection device to check normal skin, but also as the wound skin detection in real time. Furthermore, the good conductivity and rapid self-healing ability contributed to the hydrogel to detect various macro and micro movements of the human body, as well as to recycle as a new sensor. The PVA/PDA/Tyr-PEAm hydrogel that integrated intelligent signals and resisted bacterial infections exhibited broad application prospects in biomedical materials.

Fabrication of lignin reinforced hybrid hydrogels with antimicrobial and self-adhesion for strain sensors

Ionic conductive hydrogels prepared from various biological macromolecules are ideal materials for the manufacture of human motion sensors from the perspective of resource regeneration and environmental sustainability. However, it is still challenging to prepare hydrogels with both high toughness and self-healing ability. In this study, lignin-based β-CD-PVA (LCP) self-healing conductive hydrogels with high tensile properties were prepared by one-step method using alkali lignin as a plasticizer. Compared with PVA hydrogel, the maximum storage modulus and elongation were increased by 2.5 and 20.0 times, respectively. Uniform distribution of lignin can increase the fluidity and distance of polymer molecular chains, thus improving the viscoelastic and tensile properties of the LCP self-healing hydrogel. LCP hydrogels can maintain self-healing ability in both high (45 °C) and low temperature (0 °C) environments, and the self-healing ability is not affected by pH. Moreover, it also has good conductivity, anti-bacterial, thermostability, and anti-UV property, which has a good application prospect in the field of 3D printing and wearable electronic devices, which expands the efficient utilization of lignin in biorefinery.

A stretchable, self-healing, okra polysaccharide-based hydrogel for fast-response and ultra-sensitive strain sensors.

Self-healing conductive hydrogels have attracted widespread attention as a new generation of smart wearable devices and human motion monitoring sensors. To improve the biocompatibility and degradability of such strain sensors, we report a sensor with a sandwich structure based on a biomucopolysaccharide hydrogel. The sensor was constructed with a stretchable self-healing hydrogel composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), okra polysaccharide (OP), borax, and a conductive layer of silver nanowires. The obtained OP/PVA/borax hydrogel exhibited excellent stretchability (~1073.7%) and self-healing ability (93.6% within 5min), and the resultant hydrogel-based strain sensor demonstrated high sensitivity (gauge factor=6.34), short response time (~20ms), and good working stability. This study provides innovative ideas for the development of biopolysaccharide hydrogels for applications in the field of sensors.

Exosome/Metformin-Loaded Self-Healing Conductive Hydrogel Rescues Microvascular Dysfunction and Promotes Chronic Diabetic Wound Healing by Inhibiting Mitochondrial Fission

Exosome/Metformin-Loaded Self-Healing Conductive Hydrogel Rescues Microvascular Dysfunction and Promotes Chronic Diabetic Wound Healing by Inhibiting Mitochondrial Fission

Healable, Adhesive, and Conductive Nanocomposite Hydrogels with Ultrastretchability for Flexible Sensors.

In recent years, conductive hydrogels have generated tremendous attention in biomedicals and bioelectronics fields due to their excellent physiochemical properties. In this study, a physically cross-linked conducting hydrogel has been designed in combination with cellulose nanocrystalline (CNC), polyacrylic acid (PAA) chains, laurel methacrylate, and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The obtained result shows that the hydrogel prepared is ultrastretchable, mechanically robust, transparent, biocompatible, conductive, and self-healing. The mechanical property of the prepared hydrogel is optimized through variation of the CNC content. The optimal hydrogel (CNC-1/PAA) exhibits an impressive mechanics, including high stretchability (∼1800%) and compressibility, good elasticity, and fatigue resistance. Furthermore, the conductivity of the hydrogel enables tensile strain- and pressure-sensing capabilities. The CNC/PAA-based flexible sensors are successfully designed, which shows high sensitivity, fast response (290 ms), and excellent cycle stability as well as the pressure sensing capability. As a result, the designed hydrogel has the ability to sense and detect diverse human motion, including elbow/finger/wrist bending and speaking, which demonstrates that the designed self-healing conductive hydrogels have significant potential for applications in flexible electronics.

An all-natural strategy for versatile interpenetrating network hydrogels with self-healing, super-adhesion and high sensitivity

• Based on an all-natural strategy, a novel versatile interpenetrating hydrogel was constructed via a facile one-step method. • CMC/PDA hydrogel had excellent self-healing properties (98.37%). • CMC/PDA hydrogel possessed super-adhesion so that it could stick objects up to 10,000 times its own weight. • CMC/PDA hydrogel had so high sensitivity (GF=4.741) that it could detect various body movements in real-time as a sensor. Self-healing conductive hydrogels create an important class of smart skin materials with robust mechanical properties and sensitivity. Yet, these reported hydrogels cannot function steadily or be widely used because of expensive cost, complex synthetic process and weak stability. Reported here is a novel interpenetrating network hydrogel based on an all-natural strategy with carboxymethyl cellulose and dopamine as raw materials. The interpenetrating network was constructed via a facile one-step method with amidation reaction and oxidative self-polymerization occurred simultaneously. The impressive features, self-healing performance and mechanism of the hydrogel were explored and unfold. This hydrogel could not only self-heal completely after destruction (3h 98.37%), but also had high sensitive feature (GF=4.741). It could detect various body movements (even throat vocalization and pulse beat) as a sensor in real-time. The excellent self-healing performance was thanked to multiple noncovalent reversible interactions. Both ultraviolet light and high water content contributed to the self-healing process. At the same time, this hydrogel showed super-adhesion (427±4 KPa) to various surfaces, such as human skin, paper, plastic, branch, stone, leaf and so on. And the super-adhesion character enabled the hydrogel to lift up to 10,000 times its own weight. Due to its unique structure, excellent self-healing performance, good tensile and compressive properties, impressive resilience, super-adhesion and high sensitivity, this versatile hydrogel is expected to serve as a novel smart skin system with remarkable intelligent wearable properties.

A stretchable, self-healing conductive hydrogels based on nanocellulose supported graphene towards wearable monitoring of human motion

Stretchable, self-healing and conductive hydrogels have attracted much attention for wearable strain sensors, which are highly required in health monitoring, human-machine interaction and robotics. However, the integration of high stretchability, self-healing capacity and enhanced mechanical performance into one single conductive hydrogel is still challenging. In this work, a type of stretchable, self-healing and conductive composite hydrogels are fabricated by uniformly dispersing TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNFs)-graphene (GN) nanocomposites into polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel through an in-situ free radical polymerization. The resulting hydrogels demonstrate a stretchability (∼850 %), viscoelasticity (storage modulus of 32 kPa), mechanical strength (compression strength of 2.54 MPa, tensile strength of 0.32 MPa), electrical conductivity (∼ 2.5 S m−1) and healing efficiency of 96.7 % within 12 h. The hydrogel-based strain sensor shows a high sensitivity with a gauge factor of 5.8, showing great potential in the field of self-healing wearable electronics.