Wearable sensors made of flexible and stretchable hydrogels
have
garnered significant attention. However, their use has been limited
by poor mechanical performance, such as poor toughness, poor self-recovery,
and a large response–recovery time. To overcome these limitations,
we have developed a novel cross-linking agent-based hydrogel with
high stretchability, high toughness, antifatigue properties, and good
conductivity. These hydrogels were developed by introducing l-glutamic acid (LGA) into hydrophobically cross-linked polyacrylamide
(PAmm) chains. In this system, LGA dynamically cross-linked the micelle–micelle
and micelle–polymer chains and greatly regulates the mechanical
properties of the hydrogels. The noncovalent synergistic interactions
that came with the insertion of LGA enable the hydrogels to achieve
high stretchability and high stress values, with fast self-recovery
and antifatigue behaviors without the help of foreign stimuli. Additionally,
LGA-based hydrogels can function as durable and highly sensitive strain
sensors for detecting various mechanical deformations with a fast
response–recovery time and high gauge factor value. As a result,
the hydrogels have the capability to be designed as wearable strain
sensors that are capable of detecting large human joint motions, such
as neck twisting, neck bending, and wrist, finger, and elbow movements.
Similarly, these hydrogels are capable of monitoring different subtle
human motions such as speaking and differentiating between different
words, swallowing, and drinking through larynx vibrations. Besides
these large and subtle human motions, hydrogels have the ability to
differentiate and reproduce different written words with reliability.
These LGA-regulated hydrogels have potential applications in electric
skins, medical monitoring, soft robotics, and flexible touch panels.