@article{Wen2025, 
author = {Chaoyao Wen and Ziqi Wang and Chuyang Xiang and Mingjie Liu and Guoxin Tan},
title = {Preparation and Sensing Properties of Highly Robust Conductive Hydrogels},
year = {2025},
journal = {Journal of Guangdong University of Technology},
volume = {42},
number = {1},
pages = {79-86},
keywords = {hydrogel, polyvinyl alcohol/polyethyleneimine, conductivity, flexible sensor},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.12052/gdutxb.240067},
doi = {10.12052/gdutxb.240067},
abstract = {In recent years, conductive hydrogels have attracted significant attention in the field of flexible wearable sensors. However, traditional conductive hydrogel-based sensors suffer from insufficient mechanical properties, severely limiting their application in flexible sensors. Therefore, enhancing the mechanical properties of conductive hydrogels is essential for flexible sensing applications. Poly(vinyl alcohol) /poly(ethyleneimine) -sodium sulfate (PVA/PEI-Na2SO4) hydrogels were successfully prepared using the directional freezing technique and salting-out effect, showing excellent mechanical properties. During the directional freezing process, the polymer chains in the PVA/PEI hydrogels were arranged orderly along the ice crystal growth direction. This ordered structure improved the mechanical properties of the hydrogels. By immersing the hydrogel in a sodium sulfate solution, the density of the hydrogel network structure increased through the salting-out effect, further enhancing its mechanical properties and endowing the hydrogel with ionic conductivity. The results demonstrated that the PVA/PEI-Na2SO4 hydrogel exhibited high compressive strength (5.98 MPa) and excellent force-electrical response properties, with stable electrical signals output during 100 external load-unload cycles. The PVA/PEI-Na2SO4 hydrogel developed in this study has potential applications in flexible sensing and finger muscle rehabilitation.}
}