High-Strength Conductive Hydrogels Reinforced by Tannic Acid-Modified Silk Nanofibers for Wearable Strain Sensors

作者：Jia Chen, Hongchao Peng, Heng He, Bin Yan, Qin Yang, Yingchun Gu, Runfang Fu, Sheng Chen · 发表于：Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1021/acs.iecr.5c01739 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials、Conducting polymers and applications、Silk-based biomaterials and applications

Conductive hydrogels show promise for flexible wearable sensors but face challenges such as low mechanical strength, fragility, poor stability, and insufficient sensitivity. In this study, a high-strength, highly sensitive, and stable composite hydrogel has been synthesized by a one-pot method. The incorporation of tannic acid-modified silk nanofiber (ST) composites and Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets (MXene) significantly enhances the mechanical performance of the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel, endowing it with notable antibacterial and conductive properties. The PVA/MXene/ST conductive hydrogel with an optimal composite ratio achieves a tensile breaking strength of 0.74 MPa, an elongation at break of 506%, and a 7.6-fold increase in compressive strength compared to the pure PVA hydrogel. The hydrogel-based flexible sensors demonstrate dual-mode sensing capabilities (stretching and compression) with stable and sensitive performance over 500 cycles. Moreover, the hydrogel exhibits good antibacterial properties, antifreezing capability (−20 °C), and water retention capability.