Preparation and application of nanosilver/nanocellulose composite antimicrobial strain-responsive dual network hydrogels

Abstract

With the progress of science and technology, smart wearable devices prepared based on antimicrobial conductive hydrogels have come to have important applications in motion detection, medical monitoring, human-machine interface and soft robotics. On the basis of satisfying the performance of antimicrobial conductive, hydrogels also need to improve the mechanical properties to adapt to more wearable device applications. In this study, glycerol and agar were introduced on the basis of nanosilver/nanocellulose composite antimicrobial strain-responsive hydrogels (AP hydrogels), and nanosilver/nanocellulose composite antimicrobial strain-responsive dual-network hydrogel (APA-DN hydrogel) could be constructed by a two-step moulding method of thermal initiation and sol-gelation, and encapsulated into a strain-responsive sensor. Tensile fracture strain and stress of the APA-DN hydrogel could reach that concomitant with an elongation of 2182.0 mm. The tensile fracture strain and stress of the APA-DN hydrogel can reach 2182.71% and 279.76 kPa, and the modulus of elasticity and toughness can reach 36.35 kPa and 2772.98 kJ/m³, thereby realising enhanced mechanical properties on the basis of the AP hydrogel. The relative resistance of the APA-DN hydrogel sensors was stable in the range of 0–120% under 100% strain cycling, maintaining stable repeatability and durability of strain response. The APA-DN hydrogels are capable of outputting stable and reproducible electrical signals in the monitoring of hand and head movements, and they are expected to be applied in human behaviour detection by collecting and classifying the response signals in the future.