3D Print Polyaniline/Gelatin Hydrogels as Wearable Multifunctional Sensors

Gelatin is a good biocompatible material. Polyaniline is a polymer compound that can conduct electricity when doped with phytic acid (Ph). However, there are few reports on PANI and gelatin hydrogels. In this paper, a new synthesis method of polyaniline (PANI) was developed, which greatly improved the gas sensitivity while maintaining the excellent quality of PANI. PANI and gelatin were composited into a unified 3D network. ANI synthesized phytic acid-doped PANI and then mixed gelatin with it to make wearable 3D printed sensors. Multilayer structures prepared by 3D printing with PANI ink are free of build-up. A PANI hydrogel sensor was fabricated using a 3D printing method with a stress sensing range of 0-899.8 MPa, a strain sensing range of 0-764.4 % sensitivity GF=1.4, and a TCR=-1.3 for temperature 8.4-29 degrees C. The sensor can accurately detect the motion of large strains in human knee joints and small strains in finger bending. In this study, a simple green method was used to convert inexpensive gelatin into a high-performance multifunctional wearable sensor, which can be recycled and provided application prospects for sustainable and environmentally friendly biocompatible materials in the future.

Automated summary

This study developed a new method to composite polyaniline (PANI) and gelatin into a unified 3D network, fabricating wearable 3D printed sensors and achieving accurate detection of human joint motions. The results showed that this method can convert inexpensive gelatin into high-performance biocompatible materials.