Highly Tough, Anti-freezing, Sensitive Polyvinyl Alcohol-based Organic Hydrogel for Wearable Flexible Strain Sensor

Abstract

A novel PVA/EG/GE/LiCl (PEGL) multifunctional hydrogel was developed by using a binary of ethylene glycol (EG)/water as solvent, with gelatin (GE) and PVA as the skeletons and lithium chloride (LiCl) for conductivity. The experimental results indicate that, compared to four other hydrogels, the PEGL hydrogel exhibits the best tensile strength (3.92 ± 0.12 MPa), a good elongation at break (375.22 ± 11.25%), and excellent anti-freezing properties, being able to withstand approximately 6 500 times its own weight without breaking. Moreover, the PEGL organic hydrogel sensor has high sensitivity and rapid response characteristics, capable of transforming body movements into repeatable and stable electrical signals. This study provides new ideas for the development of new types of high-performance wearable flexible strain sensors.

Keywords

strain sensor / hydrogel / polyvinyl alcohol / anti-freezing

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