Fabrication of a High-Strength, Tough, Swelling-Resistant, Conductive Hydrogel via Ion Cross-Linking, Directional...

Conductive hydrogels have been in huge demand in biomedical and wearable electronics. However, the application of traditional conductive hydrogels is largely limited due to their poor mechanical properties. Here, a conductive hydrogel with excellent mechanical strength and swelling resistance properties is prepared by ion cross-linking, directional freeze-drying, and rehydration. First, the acrylamide and acrylic acid are polymerized in the κ-carrageenan solution to form the hydrogel. Then, the obtained hydrogel is cross-linked with Fe³⁺ by soaking in ferric chloride solution. Finally, the ionic cross-linked hydrogels are reinforced by directional freeze-drying and rehydration. The resulting hydrogel has excellent tensile strength (5.67 MPa) and high toughness (7.63 MJ/m³). It is worth noting that the hydrogel also had excellent anti-swelling properties. Its mechanical strength and volume almost show no changes after soaking in deionized water for 40 days. In addition, the hydrogel exhibits good ionic conductivity (0.091 S/m), high sensitivity, and excellent stability when applied as a strain sensor. This work proposes a simple method to fabricate a conductive hydrogel with great mechanical properties and swelling resistance, which displays huge potential in varied fields.