Khan Aamir, Nichakornpong Nichakan, Wongsalam Tawan, Prathumrat Peerawat, Likitaporn Chutiwat, Kasemsiri Pornnapa, Okhawilai Manunya
Nanoscience and Technology Interdisciplinary Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 29;14(1):29715. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-81085-8.
Flexible conductive hydrogel strain sensors are gaining popularity due to their exceptional stretchability, sensitivity, and potential for wearable devices. However, their widespread use is hindered by significant issues, such as poor electrical conductivity and weak response time. To address these challenges, new hydrogels based on guar gum, borax, and glycerol have been fabricated via a green synthesis technique. These hydrogels were reinforced with functionalised multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) and silver nanoparticle decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (AgNP-MWCNTs). The resulting conductive hydrogels exhibited a self-healing capability of 83.2% and effective strain sensing with a gauge factor of 6.58. The incorporation of AgNP-MWCNTs significantly improved the electrical conductivity up to 3.05 ± 0.02 S m, thanks to the tunnelling effect between f-MWCNTs and the synergic interaction of AgNP-MWCNTs. Moreover, the hydrogel sensors displayed excellent durability, enduring 3000 cycles of tensile loading and unloading at 50% strain. This innovative use of green design principles offers a straightforward, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly process for producing high-performance soft materials. These materials hold significant promise for various practical applications, including artificial skins, flexible electronics, and healthcare monitoring, highlighting the high relevance and impact of this research.
柔性导电水凝胶应变传感器因其出色的拉伸性、灵敏度以及在可穿戴设备中的应用潜力而越来越受到关注。然而，其广泛应用受到诸如电导率差和响应时间短等重大问题的阻碍。为应对这些挑战，通过绿色合成技术制备了基于瓜尔胶、硼砂和甘油的新型水凝胶。这些水凝胶用功能化多壁碳纳米管（f-MWCNTs）和银纳米颗粒修饰的多壁碳纳米管（AgNP-MWCNTs）进行了增强。所得的导电水凝胶表现出83.2%的自愈合能力以及6.58的应变计因子的有效应变传感。由于f-MWCNTs之间的隧道效应以及AgNP-MWCNTs的协同相互作用，AgNP-MWCNTs的加入显著提高了电导率，高达3.05±0.02 S m。此外，水凝胶传感器表现出优异的耐久性，在50%应变下经受3000次拉伸加载和卸载循环。这种绿色设计原则的创新应用为生产高性能软材料提供了一种直接、经济高效且环保的工艺。这些材料在包括人造皮肤、柔性电子和医疗监测等各种实际应用中具有巨大潜力，突出了这项研究的高度相关性和影响力。
