Dual-mode conductive organohydrogel with TA-AgNPs synergy for multifunctional sensing

The synergistic advantages of high conductive and histology-like properties of hydrogel make it promising candidate for flexible electronic devices. However, it still remains huge challenge to build conductive hydrogel with high sensing performance and versatility. Herein, a platform of multifunctional organohydrogel was tailored by dual-mode conduction and tannic acid‑silver system, which demonstrated excellent mechanical, conductive, antibacterial, freezing tolerance, moisture retention and sensing capabilities. Thanks to the multiple energy dissipation by the synergistic effect between different components during deformation, the average stress and strain of organohydrogel were 6.18 ± 0.313 MPa and 695.15 ± 25.956 %, respectively. At the same time, the combination of tannic acid and silver guaranteed the antibacterial property of organohydrogel, which was an advantage as flexible sensor for long-term human-machine interface contact without worrying about bacterial growth. Moreover, the organohydrogel exhibited freezing tolerance and moisture retention performances based on the ability of water/glycerin binary solvents to inhibit ice crystal growth and water evaporation, laying the foundation for its long-term stability in harsh environments. In addition, the construction of dual-mode conduction and the corresponding structural changes of organohydrogel during deformation resulted in excellent average conductivity of 19.70 ± 0.145 S m −1 and strain sensitivity of 17.10. It enabled organohydrogel to act as flexible sensor to realize coding language communication, real-time monitoring of wrist pulse and collecting pressure information in space. In summary, a multifunctional organohydrogel was developed, which provided feasible and promising strategy for the enhanced performance and modified function of conductive hydrogel.