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Interface interaction-mediated design of tough and conductive MXene-composited polymer hydrogel with high stretchability and low hysteresis for high-performance multiple sensing

基于界面相互作用的具有高伸展和低滞后性的坚韧导电MXene基复合聚合物水凝胶用于高性能多功能传感器

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Abstract

Conductive hydrogels based on two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, MXene, have emerged as promising materials for flexible wearable sensors. In these applications, the integration of high toughness, ultrastretchability, low hysteresis, self-adhesiveness, and multiple sensory functions into one gel is essential. However, serious issues, such as easy restacking and inevitable oxidation of MXene nanosheets in aqueous media and weak interfacial bindings between MXene and the gel network, make it almost impossible to achieve the multiple performances mentioned above. Here we present a conductive MXene-composited polymer (MCP) hydrogel by incorporating gelatin-modified MXene into polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel for the fabrication of multifunctional sensors. The presence of gelatin not only greatly improves the stability of the MXene nanosheets by forming a protective sheath, but also largely enhances the interfacial interactions between the MXene and the hydrogel network as molecular glues. Thus, the MCP hydrogel exhibits a high strength (430 kPa), remarkable stretchability (1100%), low hysteresis (<10% at 500% cyclic tensile), and excellent repeatable adhesion. The resultant MCP hydrogel-based versatile sensors display a high strain sensitivity with a broad working range (gauge factor (GF) = 8.83, up to 1000%), realizing the detection of various human motions. Moreover, the prepared sensors possess superior thermosensitive capacities (1.110/°C) for the measurement of body temperature. This strategy opens horizons to designing high-performance MXene-based hydrogels for advanced sensing platforms.

摘要

基于二维纳米材料MXene的导电水凝胶, 已成为柔性可穿戴传感器领域的非常有前景的材料. 在这些应用中, 制备同时具有高韧性、 超弹性、 低滞后性、 自粘性和多种感官功能的凝胶至关重要. 然而, MXene纳米片在水介质中容易重新堆积, 不可避免会被氧化, 以及MXene和凝胶网络之间薄弱的界面结合等问题, 使得MXene基水凝胶几乎不可能实现上述多种性能. 在文中, 我们将明胶改性的MXene引入到聚丙烯酰胺(PAAm)水凝胶中, 制备了一种导电的MXene-复合聚合物(MCP)水凝胶, 用于制造多功能传感器. 明胶的存在不仅通过形成一个保护鞘大大改善了MXene纳米片的稳定性, 而且作为分子胶还在很大程度上增强了MXene和水凝胶网络之间的界面相互作用. 因此, MCP水凝胶表现出高强度(430 kPa)、 显著的可拉伸性(1100%)、 低滞后性(在500%的循环拉伸下滞后率<10%)和良好的可重复粘附性. 所得的基于MCP水凝胶的多功能传感器显示出高应变灵敏度, 工作范围大(GF = 8.83, 最高1000%), 实现了对各种人体运动的检测. 此外, 所制备的传感器还具有卓越的热敏能力(1.110/°C), 可用于测量体温. 这一策略为设计高性能MXene基水凝胶提供了新的思路.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22102139, 21872119, and 22072127), the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (B2021203001 and B2021203016), the Science and Technology Project of Hebei Education Department (ZD2022147), and the Special Project for Local Science and Technology Development Guided by the Central Government of China (216Z1301G and 226Z1401G).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Hebei Key Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology, Hebei Key Laboratory of Heavy Metal Deep-Remediation in Water and Resource Reuse, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China

    Xinliang Wang  (王新亮), Na Li  (李娜), Juanjuan Yin  (尹娟娟), Xiaoming Wang  (王小铭), Linli Xu  (徐琳莉), Tifeng Jiao  (焦体峰) & Zhihui Qin  (秦志辉)

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  1. Xinliang Wang  (王新亮)
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  2. Na Li  (李娜)
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  3. Juanjuan Yin  (尹娟娟)
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  4. Xiaoming Wang  (王小铭)
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  6. Tifeng Jiao  (焦体峰)
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Contributions

Author contributions Wang X, Jiao T, and Qin Z designed the project and performed the experiments. Li N, Yin J, Wang X, and Xu L characterized the materials and discussed the results of the experiments. All the authors commented on the final paper.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tifeng Jiao  (焦体峰) or Zhihui Qin  (秦志辉).

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Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Supplementary information Supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

Xinliang Wang is a graduate student in Prof. Jiao’s group at the School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University. His current research interest is the preparation of MXene-based composite hydrogels and their sensing properties as wearable devices.

Tifeng Jiao received his PhD (2006) degree in physical chemistry from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He was a postdoctoral fellow of Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique with associate Prof. Girard-Egrot (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France). Currently, he is a full-time professor and vice director of the School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University. His current research interests include the synthesis of self-assembled nanostructured materials and nanocomposites and their related properties.

Zhihui Qin received his BSc (2014) and PhD (2020) degrees from Inner Mongolia University of Science & Technology and Tianjin University, respectively. He joined the School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, in 2020, and he became an associate professor in 2022. His research interest mainly focuses on the design of functional soft materials, including hydrogels, elastomers, and ionogels, and their related applications in flexible electronics.

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40843_2022_2105_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Interface interaction-mediated design of tough and conductive MXene-composited polymer hydrogel with high stretchability and low hysteresis for high-performance multiple sensing

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Wang, X., Li, N., Yin, J. et al. Interface interaction-mediated design of tough and conductive MXene-composited polymer hydrogel with high stretchability and low hysteresis for high-performance multiple sensing. Sci. China Mater. 66, 272–283 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2105-6

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