Skin-like hydrogels: design strategy and mechanism, properties, and sensing applications

Abstract

Human skin is soft, stretchable, elastic, has a strong ability to heal when injured, and can sense a variety of stimuli. Therefore, the development of materials that can simulate skin...

Low-hysteresis and highly linear sensors based on environmentally stable, adhesive, and antibacterial hydrogels

“…1h). 39 Moreover, the maximum stress and dissipation energy of the hydrogel gradually increased with the rise in the applied tensile strain, whereas η remained basically unchanged (Fig. S6 and S7†).…”

Artificial Feeding Systems for Vector-Borne Disease Studies

“…Engineered Biocompatible Constructs: These are artificial materials carefully designed to replicate the structure and properties of the mammalian skin [ 18 , 155 , 156 ]. The constructs consist of crosslinked polymer networks with the ability to absorb and retain substantial amounts of water, imparting a soft, flexible, and gel-like structure that is similar to host skin [ 155 , 157 , 158 , 159 , 160 , 161 ].…”

“…The constructs consist of crosslinked polymer networks with the ability to absorb and retain substantial amounts of water, imparting a soft, flexible, and gel-like structure that is similar to host skin [ 155 , 157 , 158 , 159 , 160 , 161 ]. These characteristics render them a viable alternative for delivering blood meals in vector-borne pathogen studies, closely mirroring the natural feeding conditions experienced by vectors in the wild [ 156 ]. The integration of engineered human tissue into these biocompatible constructs has facilitated investigations into the mechanical characteristics of the skin and the activities of vectors, notably mosquitoes, during feeding processes [ 18 , 155 ].…”

“…Innovative biomimetic surfaces have been developed, closely mimicking the complex topography and physiological cues of natural host tissues [ 18 , 155 ]. By replicating the texture, chemical composition, and even temperature of host skin, these surfaces create a more realistic feeding experience for vectors [ 156 ]. This approach is hypothesized to induce immunological responses in both vectors and biomimetic artificial feeding systems closely resembling those occurring in natural feeding environments.…”

Stretchable anti-freeze deep eutectic solvent (DES) gels for low-temperature wearable soft sensors

“…They possess notable advantages such as biocompatibility, electrical conductivity, and flexibility. [5][6][7] Therefore, conductive hydrogels are considered as a promising candidate for flexible strain sensors. 8 However, the use of conductive hydrogels for sensors still has certain limitations, such as the evaporation or freezing of water in extreme environments will greatly affect the flexibility and conductivity of the hydrogel, which in turn affects the sensitivity of the flexible sensor.…”