Advances in polysaccharide-based conductive hydrogel for flexible electronics

Polysaccharides, being the most abundant natural polymers, play a pivotal role in the development of hydrogel materials. Polysaccharide-based conductive hydrogels have found extensive applications in flexible electronics due to their excellent conductivity and biocompatibility. This review highlights recent advancements in this area, starting with an overview of polysaccharide materials such as chitosan, cellulose, starch, cyclodextrin, alginate, hyaluronic acid, and agarose. It then explores different classifications of conductive hydrogels: ionic conductive, electronic conductive, and ionic-electronic composite types. The review also covers key characteristics of these hydrogels, including mechanical properties, self-healing, adhesion, structural color, antibacterial, responsiveness, biocompatibility and anti-swelling. Representative applications, such as flexible sensors, triboelectric nanogenerators, supercapacitors, and flexible electronic wound dressings, are summarized. Finally, the review addresses current challenges and provides guidance for future research, aiming to advance the field of polysaccharide-based conductive hydrogels in flexible electronics.