Composite Hydrogel Modified with Gelatin-Imidazole: A Conductive and Adhesive Hydrogel

Abstract

Wearable sensors have the potential to revolutionize healthcare, sports, and overall well-being by offering personalized, continuous monitoring and actionable insights. They empower individuals to proactively manage their health, enhance clinical diagnostics, and advance preventive and precision healthcare. In this study, we developed conductive hydrogels containing acrylamide (AAM), polyacrylamide (PAAM), chemically modified poly(ethylene glycol) (DF-PEG), gelatin (Gel-ICM), and imidazole (SBVI). The investigation focused on the influence of different SBVI amounts on the hydrogel's mechanical and electrical properties. Specifically, we labeled hydrogels with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% w/v SBVI as CH-0, CH-0.5, CH-1, CH-1.5, and CH-2, respectively. Our experimental results showed a 165% increase in elongation at break and a 63% decrease in electrical resistance for CH-1 compared to the CH-0 hydrogel. Moreover, the consistent relative resistance responses observed across various human joint movements, different strain rate tests, and durability assessments underscore the reliability and versatility of the CH-1 hydrogel as a strain sensor for potential applications in wearable electronic devices and biomechanical monitoring systems. These findings provide valuable insights for researchers in designing hydrogel-based materials with tailored electrical properties, unlocking their potential for a wide array of cutting-edge applications.

Curcumin-Based Ionic Liquid Hydrogel for Topical Transdermal Delivery of Curcumin To Improve Its Therapeutic Effect on the Psoriasis Mouse Model

“…However, the use of SA alone will have some limitations, such as poor mechanical properties, poor stability in vivo, vulnerability to an acid–base environment, inability to load hydrophobic drugs, and unstable controlled release of hydrophilic drugs . Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) is widely used as an auxiliary material for controlled release systems due to its good biocompatibility, stability to temperature and acid–base changes, high mechanical strength, and viscosity. − However, transdermal drug delivery preparations require hydrogel materials with good biocompatibility, high stability, large drug loading, and excellent continuous adhesion. The three-dimensional reticular hydrogel with a simple structure has limited functions and cannot meet actual clinical needs.…”

Highly Adhesive, Ultrafast Self-Healing, and Conductive Dopamine-Based Polymer Hydrogels for Sensitive Human Motion Sensing

“…In recent years, the emergence of flexible electronic biological products has opened up broad prospects in the future electronic field. These products play a crucial role in fields such as motion monitoring, − human–machine interface, − medical monitoring, − and electronic skin. − The comfort of wearers is often compromised by the inherent rigidity of traditional electronic devices . In contrast, flexible bioelectronics offer numerous advantages, including small size, comfortable wearability, and timely detection, providing optimized human–machine experience and real-time portable monitoring conditions. − It is imperative to develop wearable electronic sensors with excellent stretchability, high sensitivity, and stability to collect human health data, as flexible electronics ideally should maintain good sensitivity, reliability, and integration while resisting various levels of deformation and transforming into complex, nonplanar shapes.…”