Development
of conductive hydrogels with high sensitivity and excellent
mechanical properties remains a challenge for constructing flexible
sensor devices. Herein, a universal strategy is presented for enhancing
the mechanical strength of Mxene-based double-network hydrogels through
metal ion coordination effects. Polyacrylamide (PAM)/sodium alginate
(SA)/Mxene double-network (PSM-DN) hydrogels were prepared by metal
ion impregnation of PAM/SA/Mxene (PSM) hydrogels. High electrical
conductivity is achieved due to MXene nanosheets, while the strong
coordination bond between metal ions and SA constructs a second network
that increases the mechanical strength of the hydrogel by an order
of magnitude. Mechanical tests demonstrated that the elastic modulus
of hydrogels matches that of human tissues. Hence, they can be used
as a highly sensitive electronic skin sensor to recognize the movement
of different joints in humans and also as a pressure sensing interface
to recognize characters for anticounterfeiting and information transfer.
This work can promote the practical application of conductive hydrogels
in high-tech fields, such as flexible electronic skin and interface
interaction.