Highly Transparent and Strength Conductive Hydrogel Based on Dendrobium Officinale Polysaccharide for Wearable Strain Sensors

Abstract

Owing to their superior flexibility and compatibility with biological systems, dual-network hydrogels have garnered significant interest in the realm of research dedicated to the development of flexible wearable sensors. Electronic skin, or E-skin, has the capability to seamlessly combine high mechanical resilience, sensory acuity, and a broad spectrum of adhesion. The potential of this technology for applications in the fields of intelligent robotics and prosthetic devices has garnered considerable attention. In this study, a polymer substance, dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP), was successfully introduced as the basic skeleton of the second-layer network structure of the hydrogel, and as a result, a multifunctional conductive hydrogel (PASD-Zn hydrogels) was synthesized. Notably, the addition of DOP to the hydrogel formulation resulted in a well-balanced set of mechanical properties (with an elongation at break of 1248% and a tensile strength of 0.238 MPa), excellent plasticity capabilities, and significant self-recovery. As a wireless strain sensor, the PASD-Zn sensor can monitor mechanically conducted signals associated with human motion. Notably, the hydrogel exhibits excellent self-adhesion on a variety of surfaces. This hydrogel holds great promise for advancing wearable devices and bionic skin.