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Published on: August 8, 2017
High-Strength Conductive Hydrogel Fiber Prepared Via Microfluidic Technology for Functionalized Strain Sensing
Shaowei Wang1, Kun Qian1, Zekai Mei1
1Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Joint International Research Lab of Lignocellulosic Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
New composite hydrogel fibers combine mechanical strength and electrical conductivity for advanced wearable electronics. These materials offer high sensitivity and rapid response for applications in health monitoring and human-machine interfaces.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Wearable flexible electronics require hydrogels with both mechanical strength and electrical conductivity.
- Traditional hydrogels often suffer from poor graphene dispersion and imbalanced properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop robust and conductive composite hydrogel fibers for flexible electronics.
- To overcome limitations in graphene dispersion and property balance in hydrogel materials.
Main Methods:
- Microfluidic spinning technology was used to prepare TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers-Graphene nanosheets/poly(vinyl alcohol)-sodium alginate-tannic acid (TOCN-GN/PVA-SA-TA) composite hydrogel fibers.
- Cellulose nanofibers acted as a biotemplate to improve graphene dispersion and form conductive networks.
Main Results:
- The optimized TGG fibers exhibited a tensile strength of 0.96 MPa, 150% elongation at break, and electrical conductivity of 2.66 S m⁻¹.
- The hydrogel fibers demonstrated enhanced energy dissipation, fatigue resistance, high sensitivity (GF=1.81), and rapid response (≈0.3 s) as strain sensors.
- PDMS-encapsulated textile sensors enabled encrypted Morse code transmission.
Conclusions:
- The developed TGG composite hydrogel fibers offer a promising solution for advanced wearable flexible electronics.
- These materials show significant potential for precise monitoring of physiological movements and innovative human-machine interfaces.
