Smart textile interfaces based on protein structure-reconstructed bovine serum albumin hydrogel fibers for disability...

Human-machine interaction (HMI) textile interfaces with safe ingredients for intelligent wearable sensing systems are critical in the era of information and the metaverse. To address the dual limitations of traditional synthetic polymer hydrogels (poor biocompatibility) and pure protein-based materials (limited mechanical performance), this study has redesigned the protein structure for a bovine serum albumin (BSA)-based composite hydrogel fibers system. By leveraging the synergistic interplay of dynamic ionic crosslinking and covalent crosslinking, the hydrogel system achieves enhancements in both mechanical strength and processability. Continuous fabrication of the fibers is realized via wet spinning technology, and a solvent exchange strategy endows the material with outstanding freezing resistance, retaining flexibility even under extreme conditions (-80 °C). Protein-based hydrogel fibers are used in the smart positioning systems and the intelligent vocalization system to assist deaf-mute individuals, with significant potential in electronic skin (e-skin) and HMI applications.