writer：Chenguang Jiang, Chunyang Zhou, Wei Tang, Guihua Chen, Su-Na Yin, Wenyuan Xie, Defeng Wu*
keywords：bacterial cellulose (BC); flexible networks; ionic hydrogel; sensor, sensitivity.
source：期刊
specific source：ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Issue time：2023年

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2023, 31(11), 11548-11558.

Cellulose nanofibers are one of the most frequently used filler for reinforcing hydrogels. The reinforcement, however, is commonly accompanied by the decrease of deformability. Inspired by the armor structured with overall flexible but locally rigid characteristics, we proposed a strategy of constructing chemical networks of bacterial cellulose (BC) in this work to improve the overall mechanical performance of hydrogels. The PAM hydrogels with borax-cross-linked BC nanofibers were prepared. The BC networks are multi-scaled, and different levels of structures play different roles. As the flexible networks, the cross-linked BC endows the hydrogels with superior stretchability (7,710%) and improves anti-cutting property as well as crack growth resistance. The crosslinks composed of boronic ester bonds act as ‘sacrificial bonds’, improving the fatigue resistance to the cyclic tensile with large strain (500%). The mechanical strengths of the hydrogels are also significantly enhanced due to the reinforcement role of BC nanofibers. Moreover, the remained sodium ions and borate ions give the hydrogels good conductivity and decreased freezing point. Accordingly, as-prepared flexible sensor has superior sensitivity (Gauge factor 10.1 for stretching) with satisfactory environmental adaptability. This work proposes an effective strategy of structural regulation for the cellulosic particle-containing hydrogel to improve the overall performance.

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https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c01937