Tendon-Inspired, Fatigue-Resistant Conductive Organohydrogels via Solvent-Exchange-Assisted Mechanical Training

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomimetics
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Tendon architecture offers ideal properties for wearable intelligent materials due to its fatigue resistance and responsiveness.
• Existing synthetic hydrogels often fail to replicate the comprehensive structural and functional integration of biological tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, hierarchically structured hydrogel with enhanced fatigue resistance and multifunctionality inspired by natural tendons.
• To create a versatile platform for next-generation bioinspired flexible electronic materials.

Main Methods:

• A synergistic fabrication strategy combining freeze-thawing, mechanical training (200,000 cycles), and solvent exchange.
• Utilized polyvinyl alcohol with a glycerol/water solvent and ferric chloride.
• Characterized mechanical strength, fracture energy, fatigue threshold, and conductivity.

Main Results:

• Achieved a tensile strength of 9.38 MPa and fracture energy of 187.5 kJ m⁻².
• Demonstrated a fatigue threshold of 7850 J m⁻² and conductivity of 0.64 S m⁻¹.
• Exhibited excellent flexibility at -80°C and was assembled into a functional strain sensor for gesture control.

Conclusions:

• The developed hydrogel exhibits superior comprehensive properties, mimicking tendon resilience and functionality.
• This approach offers a universal method for designing fatigue-resistant hydrogels for advanced flexible electronics.
• The study provides insights for developing next-generation bioinspired materials for wearable applications.