Multifunctional Ternary Hybrid Hydrogel Sensor Prepared via the Synergistic Stabilization Effect

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Highly stretchable hydrogels are crucial for flexible tactile sensors and wearable devices.
• Developing stretchable and multifunctional electronics remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a novel multifunctional sensor based on a liquid metal-adhered self-assembled polymeric network.
• To engineer and optimize ternary hybrid hydrogels for enhanced performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a ternary system using liquid metal (LM) nanodroplets, anionic carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and cationic polyacrylamide (PAAm).
• Utilizing the synergistic effect and zeta potential reduction for system stabilization and product homogenization.
• Engineering and optimizing the hybrid hydrogels for specific properties.

Main Results:

• Achieved excellent extensibility (tensile strain near 300%) and accessible deformability (low modulus of 10^4 Pa).
• Demonstrated a high tensile strain gauge factor (0.7) and compressive stress sensitivity (0.12 kPa^-1).
• Exhibited a fast response time (<125 ms) and high stability and precision.

Conclusions:

• The developed sensor shows distinguished abilities in monitoring bodily motions, recording electrocardiograms, handwriting authentication, temperature discernment, and material inference.
• The multifunctional intelligent soft sensor holds significant promise for advanced applications.
• The material's properties make it suitable for next-generation wearable and flexible electronic devices.