Mechanical and electrical properties of a modified carbon nanotube-mediated hydrogel as a strain sensor

• Published in: New journal of chemistry 2023-05, Vol.47 (21), p.149-1414
• Main Authors: Huang, Xinmin, Yan, Zhongjie, Yang, Lianhe, Meng, Lingling
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aqueous solutions; Carbon nanotubes; Dimethyl sulfoxide; Electrical properties; Elongation; Human motion; Hydrogels; Mechanical properties; Modulus of elasticity; Polyvinyl alcohol; Sensors; Tensile strength
• ISSN: 1144-0546; 1369-9261
• DOI: 10.1039/d3nj00520h

This study adopted a one-pot method to prepare a composite solution, which uses Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) as the matrix, silanation-modified carbon nanotubes (S-CNTs) as the conductive mediators, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) aqueous solution and glycerol as the organic solvent, and finally the composite solution was repeatedly freeze-thawed to prepare a composite hydrogel. By controlling the addition amount of S-CNTs, its effect on the properties of the composite hydrogels was investigated. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and electrical properties of the composite hydrogel were characterized and the results showed that the S-CNTs-0.3/PVA hydrogel had good mechanical properties (tensile strength: 0.53 MPa, tensile modulus: 410 kPa, toughness: 0.97 MJ m −3 and elongation at break: 294.81%) and excellent self-recovery performance. The assembled sensor can monitor finger bending and strain occurrence, indicating its potential application in human motion monitoring energy-sensing devices. Conductive hydrogels with high mechanical toughness, self-recovery ability, and electrical conductivity were prepared by a one-pot method.