(2024) 11:12 | Stalin Kondaveeti, Geonjun Choi, Sarath Chandra Veerla, Somi Kim, Jaeil Kim, Hee Jin Lee, Unnikrishnan Kuzhiumparambil, Peter J. Ralph, Junyeob Yeo, Hoon Eui Jeong
This paper presents a multifunctional conductive hydrogel inspired by mussel adhesion, designed for wearable devices. The hydrogel is composed of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), dopamine-functionalized pectin (PT-DA), polydopamine-coated reduced graphene oxide (rGO-PDA), and Fe³⁺ as an ionic cross-linker. It exhibits high stretchability (2000%), rapid self-healing (94% recovery in 5 seconds), and strong self-adhesion to various substrates, including skin. Notably, the hydrogel demonstrates a skin adhesion strength of 85 kPa, surpassing previous hydrogels. Incorporating rGO within the hydrogel network creates electric pathways, ensuring excellent conductivity (0.56 S m⁻¹). The hydrogel also shows strain-sensing properties with a gauge factor (GF) of 14.6, covering a wide detection range of ~1000%, fast response (198 ms), and exceptional cycle stability. These features make the hydrogel suitable for motion detection sensors capable of distinguishing various human movements. The study highlights the potential of this multifunctional hydrogel in wearable and flexible devices, addressing the challenges of integrating multiple properties into a single material.This paper presents a multifunctional conductive hydrogel inspired by mussel adhesion, designed for wearable devices. The hydrogel is composed of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), dopamine-functionalized pectin (PT-DA), polydopamine-coated reduced graphene oxide (rGO-PDA), and Fe³⁺ as an ionic cross-linker. It exhibits high stretchability (2000%), rapid self-healing (94% recovery in 5 seconds), and strong self-adhesion to various substrates, including skin. Notably, the hydrogel demonstrates a skin adhesion strength of 85 kPa, surpassing previous hydrogels. Incorporating rGO within the hydrogel network creates electric pathways, ensuring excellent conductivity (0.56 S m⁻¹). The hydrogel also shows strain-sensing properties with a gauge factor (GF) of 14.6, covering a wide detection range of ~1000%, fast response (198 ms), and exceptional cycle stability. These features make the hydrogel suitable for motion detection sensors capable of distinguishing various human movements. The study highlights the potential of this multifunctional hydrogel in wearable and flexible devices, addressing the challenges of integrating multiple properties into a single material.