Stimuli-Responsive Conductive Nanocomposite Hydrogels with High Stretchability, Self-Healing, Adhesiveness, and 3D Printability for Human Motion Sensing

Abstract

Self-healing, adhesive conductive hydrogels are of great significance in wearable electronic devices, flexible printable electronics, and tissue engineering scaffolds. However, designing self-healing hydrogels with multifunctional properties such as high conductivity, excellent mechanical property, and high sensitivity remains a challenge. In this work, the conductive self-healing nanocomposite hydrogels based on nanoclay (laponite), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and N-isopropyl acrylamide are presented. The presented nanocomposite hydrogels displayed good electrical conductivity, rapid self-healing and adhesive properties, flexible and stretchable mechanical properties, and high sensitivity to near-infrared light and temperature. These excellent properties of the hydrogels are demonstrated by the three-dimensional (3D) bulky pressure-dependent device, human activity monitoring device, and 3D printed gridding scaffolds. Good cytocompatibility of the conductive hydrogels was also evaluated with L929 fibroblast cells. These nanocomposite hydrogels have great potential for applications in stimuli-responsive electrical devices, wearable electronics, and so on.

Keywords: 3D printing; adhesive; human motion sensors; nanocomposite hydrogels; self-healing conductive hydrogel.