Conductive polymer based hydrogels and their application in wearable sensors: a review

Liu, D., Huyan, C., Wang, Z., Guo, Z., Zhang, X., Torun, H., Mulvihill, D. , Xu, B. B. and Chen, F. (2023) Conductive polymer based hydrogels and their application in wearable sensors: a review. Materials Horizons, (doi: 10.1039/D3MH00056G) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

Hydrogels have been attracting increasing attention in wearable electronics, due to their intrinsic biomimetic features, highly tunable chemical-physical properties (mechanical, electrical, etc), and excellent biocompatibility. Among many proposed varieties, conductive polymer-based hydrogels (CPHs) have emerged as a promising candidate for future wearable sensor designs, with a capability of realizing desired features using different tuning strategies ranging from molecular design (with a low lengthscale of 10-10 m) to micro-structural configuration (up to a lengthscale of 10-2 m). However, considerable challenges remain to be overcome, such as the limited strain sensing range due to the mechanical strength, the signal loss/instability caused by swelling/deswelling, the significant hysteresis of sensing signal, the de-hydration induced malfunctions, the surface/interfacial failure during manufacturing/processing, etc. This review aims to offer a targeted scan of recent advancements in CPH based wearable sensor technology, from the establishment of dedicated structure-property relationships in the lab to the advanced manufacturing routes for potential scale-up production. The application of CPHs in wearable sensors is also explored, with suggested new research avenues and prospects for CPHs in the future also included.Abstract text goes here.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported partially by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M683469), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22205174 for D. L. and No. 22178278 for F. C.), Young Talent Support Plan of Xi’an Jiaotong University and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, UK) grant-EP/N007921. X. Z. acknowledges the support from NSERC-Alberta Innovated Advanced Program.
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Mulvihill, Dr Daniel
• Authors: Liu, D., Huyan, C., Wang, Z., Guo, Z., Zhang, X., Torun, H., Mulvihill, D., Xu, B. B., and Chen, F.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Journal Name: Materials Horizons
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
• ISSN: 2051-6347
• ISSN (Online): 2051-6355
• Published Online: 03 May 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry
• First Published: First published in Materials Horizons 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License