Lignin-silver triggered multifunctional conductive hydrogels for skinlike sensor applications

Conductive hydrogels have attracted tremendous attention as a novel generation of wearable devices and body monitoring due to their great stretchability and high flexibility. Here, a multifunctional cellulose nanocrystal @sodium lignosulfonate-silver-poly(acrylamide) nanocomposite hydrogel was prepared by radical polymerization within only a few minutes. This polymerization rapidly occurred by lignosulfonate-silver (Ls-Ag) dynamic catalysis that efficiently activated ammonium persulfate (APS) to initiate the free-radical polymerization. In particular, the hydrogel exhibited excellent tensile strength (406 kPa), ultrahigh stretchability (1880 %), self-recovery, and fatigue resistance. Furthermore, due to the inclusion of Ls-Ag metal ion nanocomposite in the hydrogels, the composite hydrogel presented repeated adhesion to various objects, excellent conductivity (σ ∼ 9.5 mS cm−1), remarkable UV resistance (100 % shielding of the UV spectral region), and high antibacterial activity (above 98 %), which enabled the hydrogel to be applied to epidermal sensors. In addition, the high-sensitivity (gauge factor of 2.46) sensor constructed of the hydrogel monitored the large and subtle movements of the human body and was used as a biological electrode to collect human electromyography and electrocardiographic signals. This work provided a novel strategy for the high-value utilization of lignin, which had potential application prospects in many fields such as wearable bioelectrodes.