The storage of dynamic information
in hydrogel is extremely interesting
due to the reprogrammable and responsive features of hydrogel. Here,
we report that structural information can be stored in polysaccharide
hydrogel by electrically induced covalent cross-linking, and the imbedded
information can be retrieved by different means (dye adsorption, protonation
of chitosan, and acid dissolution). Taking the advantage of diffusible
feature of hydrogel, OH– was generated from the
contacting area of the electrode and controllably diffused by electrical
writing, thus the high pH domain (pH ∼ 10) triggered covalent
cross-linking of the hydrogel. The written area exhibits different
micromorphology, chemical properties, and pH sensitivity, allowing
dynamic 2D and 3D information to be stored and read when necessary.
This work demonstrates the use of stable electrical inputs to store
dynamic structural information in a biopolymer-based hydrogel and
how the chemical and physical varies allow eye recognition to the
embedded information.