Highly Stretchable, Ultra-Sensitive, and Self-Healable Multifunctional Flexible Conductive Hydrogel Sensor for Motion Detection and Information Transmission

Self-healable flexible sensing materials are extensively investigated for their potential use in human motion detection, healthcare monitoring, and other fields. However, the existing self-healable flexible sensing materials have limited their application in real life due to the weak stability of the conductive network and the difficulty in balancing stretchability and self-healing performances. In this paper, a flexible sensor with skin-like properties was prepared by composing a polymer composite hydrogel with a multiple network structure consisting of polyaniline, polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, and phytic acid. The composite hydrogel was tested and proved to own high mechanical properties (stretchability ≈ 565%, strength ≈ 1.4 MPa), good electrical conductivity (0.214 S cm–1), excellent self-healing properties (>99% healing efficiency in a 4 h healing period), and antibacterial properties. It had high sensitivity and a wide sensing range for strain and pressure, making it possible to manufacture multifunctional flexible sensors with comprehensive performance exceeding that of most flexible sensing materials. Notably, this polymer composite hydrogel can be manufactured in a large area and at a low cost, which is beneficial for its further application in many fields.