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.