Instrumental Analysis Center, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China; School of Biological Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China.
Instrumental Analysis Center, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2022 Jan 15;606(Pt 1):192-203. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.07.158. Epub 2021 Aug 6.
Strain-sensitive and conductive hydrogels have attracted extensive research interest due to their potential applications in various fields, such as healthcare monitoring, human-machine interfaces and soft robots. However, low electrical signal transmission and poor tensile properties still limit the application of flexible sensing hydrogels in large amplitude and high frequency motion. In this study, a novel ionic liquid segmental polyelectrolyte hydrogel consisting of acrylic acid (AAc), 1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium bromide (VBIMBr) and aluminum ion (Al) was prepared by molecular design and polymer synthesis. The cationic groups and amphiphilicity of ionic liquid chain segments effectively improve the tensile behavior of the polyelectrolyte hydrogel, with a maximum tensile strength of 0.16 MPa and a maximum breaking strain of 604%. The introduction of ionic liquid segments increased the current carrying concentration of polyelectrolyte hydrogel, and the conductivity reached the initial 4.8 times (12.5 S/m), which is a necessary condition for detecting various amplitude and high frequency limb movements. The flexible electronic sensor prepared by this polyelectrolyte hydrogel efficiently detects the movement of different parts of the human body stably and sensitively, even in extreme environment (-20 °C). These outstanding advantages demonstrate the great potential of this hydrogel in healthcare monitoring and wearable flexible strain sensors.
具有应变敏感性和导电性的水凝胶由于其在医疗监测、人机界面和软体机器人等各个领域的潜在应用而受到广泛关注。然而，低电信号传输和较差的拉伸性能仍然限制了柔性传感水凝胶在大振幅和高频运动中的应用。在这项研究中，通过分子设计和聚合物合成，制备了一种由丙烯酸（AAc）、1-乙烯基-3-丁基咪唑溴（VBIMBr）和铝离子（Al）组成的新型离子液体段式聚电解质水凝胶。离子液体链段的阳离子基团和两亲性有效地改善了聚电解质水凝胶的拉伸性能，最大拉伸强度为 0.16 MPa，最大断裂伸长率为 604%。离子液体段的引入增加了聚电解质水凝胶的载流子浓度，电导率达到初始值的 4.8 倍（12.5 S/m），这是检测各种振幅和高频肢体运动的必要条件。由这种聚电解质水凝胶制备的柔性电子传感器能够稳定、灵敏地检测人体不同部位的运动，甚至在极端环境（-20°C）下也能如此。这些优异的性能表明该水凝胶在医疗监测和可穿戴柔性应变传感器方面具有巨大的潜力。
