Fabrication of lignin reinforced hybrid hydrogels with antimicrobial and self-adhesion for strain sensors

Ionic conductive hydrogels prepared from various biological macromolecules are ideal materials for the manufacture of human motion sensors from the perspective of resource regeneration and environmental sustainability. However, it is still challenging to prepare hydrogels with both high toughness and self-healing ability. In this study, lignin-based beta-CD-PVA (LCP) self-healing conductive hydrogels with high tensile properties were prepared by one-step method using alkali lignin as a plasticizer. Compared with PVA hydrogel, the maximum storage modulus and elongation were increased by 2.5 and 20.0 times, respectively. Uniform distribution of lignin can increase the fluidity and distance of polymer molecular chains, thus improving the viscoelastic and tensile properties of the LCP self-healing hydrogel. LCP hydrogels can maintain self-healing ability in both high (45 degrees C) and low temperature (0 degrees C) environments, and the self-healing ability is not affected by pH. Moreover, it also has good conductivity, anti-bacterial, thermostability, and anti-UV property, which has a good application prospect in the field of 3D printing and wearable electronic devices, which expands the efficient utilization of lignin in biorefinery.

Automated summary

In this study, lignin-based self-healing conductive hydrogels with high tensile properties were prepared. The hydrogels showed significant improvements in storage modulus and elongation, making them suitable for the manufacture of human motion sensors. The self-healing ability of the hydrogels was maintained at high temperature, low temperature, and different pH levels. Additionally, they exhibited good conductivity, antibacterial properties, thermostability, and UV resistance, making them promising for applications in 3D printing and wearable electronic devices.