Macroporous Conductive Hydrogels with Fatigue Resistance as Strain Sensor for Human Motion Monitoring

Conductive hydrogels have attracted considerable attention due to their promising applications in a variety of fields. However, conductive hydrogels prepared by conventional strategies usually suffer from poor mechanical properties and low fatigue resistance. In this study, a synergistic strategy to fabricate macroporous conductive hydrogels (PC-hydrogels) by introducing macroporous structure to the hydrogels is reported. The polypyrrole can distribute uniformly in the hydrogel network, thus endowing the hydrogels with good electrical conductivity and outstanding fatigue resistance. Moreover, the combination of stiff polypyrrole and soft hydrogel network can enhance the mechanical properties of the hydrogel. As a result, the PC-hydrogels show negligible performance degradation after being compressed for more than 1200 cycles. Furthermore, the PC-hydrogels-based sensors can detect a variety of human motions with different intensities and ranges. The outstanding mechanical reliability and electrical conductivity make these PC-hydrogels suitable for application in areas of strain sensors and wearable devices.