MWCNTs reinforced conductive, self-healing polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl chitosan/oxidized sodium alginate hydrogel as the strain sensor

The preparation and application of hydrogel has been a hot research field in recent years. Here in, a composite hydrogel based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), oxidized sodium alginate (OSA), and oxidized multiwall carbon nanotubes (OMWCNTs) was successfully prepared. Hydrogen and imine bonds of the hydrogel endowed the composite hydrogel with self-healing property and pH sensitivity. The fracture strength of the hydrogel was enhanced to about 0.8 MPa with the help of OMWCNTs, which was about 2.5 times compared with the one without OMWCNTs. Meanwhile, a new conductive network inside the hydrogel was constructed by OMWCNTs, which improved the conductivity of the hydrogel from 1.75 × 10 −4 to 7.02 × 10 −4 S/cm. The sensing test of the hydrogel showed that it could produce profound feedback signals for the deformation caused by external force and response to human body movements, such as finger bending, swallowing, and speaking.