Zeng Qinghong, Qiao Bo, Xiao Xue, Li Longyu
College of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymer Materials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, P. R. China.
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.
Small. 2025 Jun;21(22):e2412665. doi: 10.1002/smll.202412665. Epub 2025 Apr 14.
Hydrogels emerge as highly promising candidates for wearable electronics due to their moldability and biocompatibility. However, hydrogel-based wearable electronics often suffer from poor mechanical properties and limited adhesion, pose significant challenges to their practical application. Herein, a conductive, stretchable, and self-adhesive gelatin/slide ring hydrogel (SRH) with a double-network (DN) structure is developed by incorporating a polyrotaxane (PR) based cross-linker in the hydrogel with the gelatin (GEL) network. The water-soluble allylic PR (APR) cross-linkers are prepared from the cyclodextrin-based PR via a simple one-step method. Additionally, the effect of APR cross-linkers with different sliding capabilities on the mechanical properties of SRH is further investigated aiming to optimize performance. The optimized SRH achieves a balance between toughness (2226 kJ m) and rigidity (154 kPa), along with high stretchability (3048%) and strong adhesion to various substrate materials. More importantly, this DN hydrogel is demonstrated as a human motion sensor capable of Morse code communication. This work not only advances the understanding of slidable PR cross-linker applications but also paves the way for innovative hydrogels tailored for high-performance wearable electronics, broadening their scope and functionality in real-world use.
由于具有可模塑性和生物相容性，水凝胶成为可穿戴电子产品极具前景的候选材料。然而，基于水凝胶的可穿戴电子产品往往机械性能差且附着力有限，这对其实际应用构成了重大挑战。在此，通过在具有明胶（GEL）网络的水凝胶中引入基于聚轮烷（PR）的交联剂，开发出一种具有双网络（DN）结构的导电、可拉伸且自粘的明胶/滑环水凝胶（SRH）。水溶性烯丙基PR（APR）交联剂是通过简单的一步法由基于环糊精的PR制备而成。此外，为了优化性能，进一步研究了具有不同滑动能力的APR交联剂对SRH机械性能的影响。优化后的SRH在韧性（2226 kJ/m）和刚性（154 kPa）之间实现了平衡，同时具有高拉伸性（3048%）以及对各种基底材料的强附着力。更重要的是，这种DN水凝胶被证明是一种能够进行摩尔斯电码通信的人体运动传感器。这项工作不仅增进了对可滑动PR交联剂应用的理解，还为高性能可穿戴电子产品量身定制的创新水凝胶铺平了道路，拓宽了它们在实际应用中的范围和功能。
