Flexible and wearable strain sensors based on tough and self-adhesive ion conducting hydrogels

Abstract

Inspired by biosystem, ionic hydrogels have been extensively studied as promising materials for wearable or implantable devices. Herein, we report novel ionic hydrogels that comprise dynamically crosslinked polyzwitterion and physically crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol, which demonstrate excellent mechanical properties, repeatable self-adhesion, and high and linear strain sensitivity. The obtained hydrogels can be directly attached to human skin as sensors to detect or monitor physiological signals.