Anti-freezing, conductive and shape memory ionic glycerol-hydrogels with synchronous sensing and actuating properties for soft robotics

Soft devices based on hydrogels are attracting increasing attention, but it is still a challenge to prepare hydrogels with remarkable strength, strain sensing sensitivity, anti-freezing properties, synchronous sensing and actuating properties, simultaneously. Herein, poly(vinyl alcohol)/carboxymethy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2022-08, Vol.1 (3), p.1695-1615
Main Authors: Guo, Meiling, Yang, Xi, Yan, Jiao, An, Zhaojun, Wang, Li, Wu, Yuanpeng, Zhao, Chunxia, Xiang, Dong, Li, Hui, Li, Zhenyu, Zhou, Hongwei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuators
Automation
Boron
Boron nitride
Carboxymethyl cellulose
Carboxymethylcellulose
Cellulose
Cold tolerance
Freezing
Glycerol
Health care
Human motion
Hydrogels
Hydrogen bonding
Interfaces
Ions
Manufacturing engineering
Motion perception
Polyacrylamide
Polyvinyl alcohol
Robotics
Sensitivity
Sensor arrays
Shape memory
Soft robotics
Strain
Strain gauges
Stress distribution
Synergistic effect
Tensile strength
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Summary:Soft devices based on hydrogels are attracting increasing attention, but it is still a challenge to prepare hydrogels with remarkable strength, strain sensing sensitivity, anti-freezing properties, synchronous sensing and actuating properties, simultaneously. Herein, poly(vinyl alcohol)/carboxymethyl cellulose/polyacrylamide ionic glycerol-hydrogels with poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride) functionalized boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS-PDMC) as a nano-reinforcing ingredient are developed through the synergistic effect of hydrogen bonding and ionic hydration interaction. The ionic glycerol-hydrogel presents superior freezing tolerance (−70 °C), outstanding tensile strength (1.23 MPa), and high strain sensing sensitivity (gauge factor of 2.6). The sensors based on the ionic glycerol-hydrogel achieve effective detection and discrimination of Morse codes and comprehensive human movements by wireless connection. The ionic glycerol-hydrogel can also be used as a sensor array to obtain visualized stress distribution information. Furthermore, intelligent actuators are also fabricated utilizing the ionic glycerol-hydrogel to detect the deformation of the actuators and output specific electric information. This work inspires a universal route for preparing versatile hydrogels and promises the potential application in smart health care, soft robotics, and human-machine interfaces. Poly(vinyl alcohol)/carboxymethyl cellulose/polyacrylamide/functionalized boron nitride nanosheets ionic glycerol-hydrogels exhibit integrated anti-freezing properties, conductivity and shape memory ability as flexible sensors and actuators.
ISSN:2050-7488
2050-7496
DOI:10.1039/d2ta02576k