Construction of polydopamine reduced graphene oxide/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose/polyacrylamide double network conductive hydrogel with high stretchable, pH-sensitive and strain-sensing properties

In recent years, electrically conductive hydrogels (ECHs) have attracted extensive attention for their potential applications in flexible wearable sensors and human motion monitoring. However, many ECHs are prone to damage during use, limiting their application. In this study, a quick and simple one-pot in situ copolymerization method was used to introduce the double network (DN) structure with good mechanical properties into the conductive hydrogel, providing a new method for preparing the multi-function DN hydrogel. A novel conductive hydrogel was prepared by introducing sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMCNa) and polydopamine (PDA) reduced graphene oxide (D-rGO) into polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel. Among them, the well-dispersed D-rGO nanofillers provided a good electron conduction pathway. CMCNa/PAM matrix was physically and chemically crosslinked with Fe3+ and N, N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA), which made the hydrogel had better mechanical properties and pH sensitivity than pure PAM hydrogel. The conductive hydrogel designed by us had better sensitivity (gauge factor (GF) value was 6.44), wider strain detection range (0–500%), better cycle stability and durability compared with other conductive hydrogels by using a composite conductive mechanism of electron and ion conductivity. More notably, D-rGO/CMCNa/PAM hydrogel could detect large-scale changes in human movement (such as bending of fingers and wrists) and sensitive signals without obvious allergic reactions to human skin, which offered great possibilities for practical applications as flexible strain sensors.