Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Synthesis of Strong Adhesive Hydrogel, Gelatin O-Nitrosobenzaldehyde
Published on: November 11, 2022
Organohydrogels with cellulose nanofibers enhanced supramolecular interactions toward high performance self-adhesive
Cancan Shan1, Lukas Bauman2, Mingda Che3
1State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, Institute for Polymer Research, Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
Abstract:
Gel materials with tailored functions and tissue-like properties have gained significant interest in emerging applications, including tissue engineering scaffolds, flexible electronics, and soft robotics. In this work, we developed a stretchable, flexible, adhesive, and conductive organohydrogel through physical cross-linking of the poly (N-[tris (hydroxymethyl) methyl] acrylamide-co-acrylamide) (denoted as P(THMA-AM)) network in the presence of cellulose nanofiber (CNF), sodium chloride, and glycerol. The gel matrix is rich in intermolecular interactions, including hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions, which contribute to a highly compact and cohesive structure without the requirement of any chemical crosslinkers. Moreover, the plasticizing effect of glycerol can mitigate the self-entanglement of CNFs, enhancing their mobility and ultimately conferring the organohydrogel with exceptional stretchability and flexibility. The resulting organohydrogel exhibited superior mechanical properties, self-adhesion, and ionic conductivity, making it an excellent candidate for strain-sensing applications, particularly in distinguishing and monitoring human movements.

