A series of chitosan and Laponite based nano-composite adsorbents, which showed an excellent performance for fast and efficient removal of Cd(II), methylene blue (MB) and Congo red (CR) from aqueous solution, were prepared. In the adsorbent, with the increase of Laponite component, the surface area increased from 44.69 m2 g-1 to 64.58 m2 g-1. As a result, the adsorption rates were enhanced by increasing Laponite component. The adsorption capacities for Cd(II) and MB increased with increasing Laponite component due the cationic characteristic of two pollutants, and the opposite result was found for the removal of CR. The impacts of some factors, e.g. solution pH, temperature, pollutant concentration and salt, on the adsorption capacity were investigated. Additionally, this adsorbent could be effectively regenerated by dilute HCl solution after the adsorption of Cd(II), and the mixture of methanol and acetic acid was a suitable eluent after the adsorption of two dyes.

The application of conductive hydrogels in flexible electronics has attracted much interest in recent years due to their excellent mechanical properties and conductivity. However, the development of conductive hydrogels combining with superior self-adhesion, mechanical properties, antifreeze, and antibacterial activity is still a challenge. Herein, inspired by the structure of the ligament, a multifunctional conductive hydrogel is constructed to address the issue by introducing collagen into the polyacrylamide. The obtained conductive hydrogel exhibits outstanding conductivity (52.08 mS/cm), ultra-stretchability (>2000%), self-adhesion, and antibacterial properties. More significantly, the supercapacitor based on this hydrogel electrolyte achieves a desirable capacitance (514.7 mF·cm–2 at 0.25 mA·cm–2 current density). As a wearable strain sensor, the obtained hydrogel can rapidly detect different movements of the body such as finger, wrist, elbow, and knee joints. It is conceived that this study would provide a potential approach for the preparation of conductive hydrogels in the application of flexible electronics.

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