Organohydrogels with cellulose nanofibers enhanced supramolecular interactions toward high performance self-adhesive sensing pads

Cancan Shan; Lukas Bauman; Mingda Che; A-Reum Kim; Rongxin Su; Boxin Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121211

Organohydrogels with cellulose nanofibers enhanced supramolecular interactions toward high performance self-adhesive sensing pads

Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Nov 15:320:121211. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121211. Epub 2023 Jul 21.

Authors

Cancan Shan¹, Lukas Bauman², Mingda Che³, A-Reum Kim², Rongxin Su⁴, Boxin Zhao⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, Institute for Polymer Research, Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, Institute for Polymer Research, Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
³ State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Zhejiang Institute of Tianjin University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, PR China. Electronic address: surx@tju.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, Institute for Polymer Research, Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. Electronic address: zhaob@uwaterloo.ca.

PMID: 37659812
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121211

Abstract

Gel materials with tailored functions and tissue-like properties have gained significant interest in emerging applications, including tissue engineering scaffolds, flexible electronics, and soft robotics. In this work, we developed a stretchable, flexible, adhesive, and conductive organohydrogel through physical cross-linking of the poly (N-[tris (hydroxymethyl) methyl] acrylamide-co-acrylamide) (denoted as P(THMA-AM)) network in the presence of cellulose nanofiber (CNF), sodium chloride, and glycerol. The gel matrix is rich in intermolecular interactions, including hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions, which contribute to a highly compact and cohesive structure without the requirement of any chemical crosslinkers. Moreover, the plasticizing effect of glycerol can mitigate the self-entanglement of CNFs, enhancing their mobility and ultimately conferring the organohydrogel with exceptional stretchability and flexibility. The resulting organohydrogel exhibited superior mechanical properties, self-adhesion, and ionic conductivity, making it an excellent candidate for strain-sensing applications, particularly in distinguishing and monitoring human movements.

Keywords: Cellulose nanofiber; Organohydrogel; Physical crosslinking; Self-adhesion; Strain sensor; Stretchability.