Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheets-based hydrogels with light-triggered self-healing property for flexible...

The fabrication of flexible electronic sensors with self-healing capability is of great importance for the applications in wearable devices and skin-like electronics. Herein, a molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheets-based hydrogel (Gel-PEG-MoS₂, GPM hydrogel), with near infrared (NIR) light-induced self-healing property, was first reported as a flexible sensor. Only a small amount of MoS₂ nanosheets (0.04 wt‰) could impart the hydrogel with fast self-healing property under NIR irradiation in 90 s. The healing efficiencies increased with the increasing of MoS₂ loadings. Moreover, the GPM hydrogel exhibited both contact and noncontact sensing properties based on its deformation-dependent and light-sensitive conductivity, showing potential application as mechanical sensor and light-activated switches. By employing the versatile MoS₂ nanosheets, the hydrogel exhibited both fast self-healing ability and mechanical/light sensing capability. Therefore, the MoS₂-based hydrogel provides a two-pronged approach for construction of self-healing flexible electronics.