Wei Junjie, Xiao Peng, Chen Tao
Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China.
School of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Adv Mater. 2023 Oct;35(42):e2211758. doi: 10.1002/adma.202211758. Epub 2023 Jul 25.
Conductive gels are developing vigorously as superior wearable sensing materials due to their intrinsic conductivity, softness, stretchability, and biocompatibility, showing a great potential in many aspects of lives. However, compared to their wide application on land, it is significant yet rather challenging for traditional conductive gels to realize sensing application under water. The swelling of gels and the loss of conductive components in the aqueous environment, resulted from the diffusion across the interface, lead to structural instability and sensing performance decline. Fortunately, great efforts are devoted to improving the water resistance of conductive gels and employing them in the field of underwater wearable sensing in recent years, and some exciting achievements are obtained, which are of great significance for promoting the safety and efficiency of underwater activities. However, there is no review to thoroughly summarize the underwater sensing application of conductive gels. This review presents a brief overview of the representative design strategies for developing water-resistant conductive gels and their diversified applications in the underwater sensing field as wearable sensors. Finally, the ongoing challenges for further developing water-resistant conductive gels for underwater wearable sensing are also discussed along with recommendations for the future.
导电凝胶作为一种优异的可穿戴传感材料正在蓬勃发展，因其具有本征导电性、柔软性、可拉伸性和生物相容性，在生活的许多方面都显示出巨大的潜力。然而，与它们在陆地上的广泛应用相比，传统导电凝胶在水下实现传感应用既重要又颇具挑战性。凝胶在水环境中的溶胀以及由于跨界面扩散导致的导电成分流失，会导致结构不稳定和传感性能下降。幸运的是，近年来人们致力于提高导电凝胶的耐水性，并将其应用于水下可穿戴传感领域，取得了一些令人振奋的成果，这对于提高水下活动的安全性和效率具有重要意义。然而，目前尚无综述对导电凝胶的水下传感应用进行全面总结。本综述简要概述了开发耐水导电凝胶的代表性设计策略及其在水下传感领域作为可穿戴传感器的多样化应用。最后，还讨论了进一步开发用于水下可穿戴传感的耐水导电凝胶所面临的挑战以及对未来的建议。
