Multifunctional PEDOT:PSS/MXene hydrogel with high stretchability, adhesion, and self-healing for information encryption

Skin-mimetic conductive hydrogels capable of simultaneously integrating mechanical compliance, stable charge transport, and multifunctional signal output are highly desirable for next-generation biointegrated electronics, yet remain challenging due to intrinsic trade-offs among conductivity, stretchability, and interfacial stability. Herein, we report an interfacial-coupling-engineered MXene–PEDOT:PSS conductive hydrogel that enables dynamically reconfigurable charge transport within a polymer network. In this design, MXene nanosheets function as a two-dimensional conductive scaffold, while PEDOT:PSS acts as a conjugated polymer bridge to construct continuous electron transport pathways within a polyacrylamide matrix. The synergistic integration of hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and coordination interactions between MXene, PEDOT:PSS, and polymer chains enables simultaneous optimization of mechanical and electrical properties. The hydrogel exhibits a tensile strength of 74.9 kPa and a fracture strain of 586%, robust adhesion to porcine skin (32 kPa), and excellent self-healing capability with a healed fracture strain of 442% (75.4% of the pristine sample). It also demonstrates high sensitivity across 0–500% strain with a gauge factor of 11.03. Furthermore, it maintains stable signal output under high-frequency strain (0.4 Hz). Its overall performance surpasses that of conventional PEDOT:PSS-based conductive hydrogels. Beyond mechanical sensing, the hydrogel enables motion-driven information encoding and transmission via wearable Morse-code demonstrations. This work establishes an interfacial-coupling-driven materials design paradigm for multifunctional conductive hydrogels, offering new opportunities for multimodal sensing, biointegrated electronics, and intelligent soft communication systems. Graphical abstract The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI. Interfacial-coupling-engineered MXene–PEDOT:PSS conductive hydrogels enable dynamically reconfigurable charge transport, combining high stretchability, strong tissue adhesion, and sensitive strain response. The hydrogel further enables motion-driven wearable information encoding, providing a versatile platform for multimodal sensing and soft biointegrated electronic communication.