Amorphous biomineral-reinforced hydrogels with dramatically enhanced toughness for strain sensing

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2023-07, Vol.468, p.143735, Article 143735
• Main Authors: Liu, Jia-hua, Mao, Zhengyi, Chen, Yuhan, Long, Yunchen, Wu, Haikun, Shen, Junda, Zhang, Rong, Yeung, Oscar W.H., Zhou, Binbin, Zhi, Chunyi, Lu, Jian, Yang Li, Yang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amorphous calcium carbonate; Mechanical performance; Mineral hydrogels; Strain sensors
• ISSN: 1385-8947
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2023.143735

[Display omitted] •An amorphous biomineral-reinforced hydrogel with dramatically enhanced toughness was developed.•The hydrogel strain sensors exhibited high sensitivity to various mechanical stimuli.•The mineral hydrogels presented excellent biocompatibility and flame-retardance.•The mineral hydrogels showed strong adhesion to various materials. Ionic conductive hydrogels are promising candidates for flexible wearable strain sensors and artificial skin. However, achieving high mechanical and sensing performance concurrently remains challenging. Herein, a novel biomineral-reinforced hydrogel composed of polyacrylamide (PAM) and highly stable amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is reported. Benefiting from the dual ionic doping strategy (Mg2+ and PO43−), ACC nanoparticles in hybrid hydrogels show a super stable amorphous nature. The resulting mineral hydrogel displays a high stretchability (>1150% strain), a dramatically enhanced fracture toughness (9.57±1.28 vs. 0.91±0.12 kJ m−2), and a desirable linear strain sensitivity. Moreover, the novel mineral hydrogel exhibits high biocompatibility and flame retardance, making it an appealing candidate for wearable device applications.