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High-Strength, High-Swelling-Resistant, High-Sensitivity Hydrogel Sensor Prepared with Wood That Retains Lignin
Xiangzhen Meng1, Jing Zhou1, Xin Jin1
1Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China.
Researchers developed dimensionally stable wood/polyacrylamide hydrogels (wood/PAM-Al3+). This innovative material offers enhanced swelling resistance and mechanical strength for flexible sensors, enabling macroscale human behavior monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biomaterials
Background:
- Wood-derived hydrogels often struggle with dimensional stability, particularly swelling and shrinkage resistance, hindering anisotropic applications.
- Lignin, a key component of wood, offers potential for structural integrity but requires effective integration into hydrogel matrices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare highly dimensionally stable wood/polyacrylamide hydrogels (wood/PAM-Al3+) with enhanced mechanical properties.
- To develop a flexible sensor capable of monitoring macroscale human behavior using the novel wood hydrogel.
- To explore the utilization of lignin's structure and Al3+ coordination for improved hydrogel performance.
Main Methods:
- Alkali treatment of wood to retain lignin as the hydrogel skeleton.
- Incorporation of Al3+ ions for coordination with lignin, enhancing mechanical strength.
- Free radical polymerization to introduce a conductive polyaniline network within the wood/PAM-Al3+ matrix.
Main Results:
- The wood/PAM-Al3+ hydrogel demonstrated excellent dimensional stability with a low transverse swelling ratio of 3.90%.
- The material achieved a high longitudinal tensile strength of 20.5 MPa, indicating robust mechanical performance.
- The integrated polyaniline network provided stable linear responses for pressure and temperature sensing.
Conclusions:
- The developed wood/PAM-Al3+ hydrogel offers a promising strategy for creating tough, dimensionally stable hydrogels.
- This approach effectively leverages lignin's structural properties and Al3+ coordination for enhanced material performance.
- The flexible sensor demonstrates potential for practical applications in monitoring human behavior and developing new lignin-based functional materials.
