High‐Sensitivity and Flexible Motion Sensing Enabled by Robust, Self‐Healing Wood‐Based Anisotropic Hydrogel Composites

By integrating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-borate-tannic acid (TA)-sodium sulfate into cellulosic wood matrices, a novel wood-basedPVA-borate-TA-sodium sulfate (WPBTS) hydrogel is successfully synthesized. Through a multicomponent synergistic design combining natural lignocellulose, PVA, borax, TA, and sodium sulfate, multiple dynamic cross-linking mechanisms-dynamic borate bonding, hydrogen bonding, and metal-ligand interactions-are established, resulting in WPBTS hydrogels with exceptional mechanical properties and self-healing capabilities. The mechanical strength of the WPBTS hydrogel reached an impressive 19.8 MPa, a 45-fold increase compared to PVA-borax-tannic acid (PBTS) hydrogels. Furthermore, the assembled WPBTS hydrogel-based flexible sensor demonstrates a remarkably fast response time of just 20 ms and maintains excellent performance in challenging simulated saline environments. This innovation represents a significant advancement in sensor technology and highlights the potential for transformative applications in complex and demanding scenarios.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2025-02-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202500944
Citations
14
Primary Topic
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.44

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article

High‐Sensitivity and Flexible Motion Sensing Enabled by Robust, Self‐Healing Wood‐Based Anisotropic Hydrogel Composites

Yimin A. Wu, Kam Chiu Tam, Adam F. G. Leontowich, Matthew Godwin et al.
14 citations
Small
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
9.44
article

High‐Sensitivity and Flexible Motion Sensing Enabled by Robust, Self‐Healing Wood‐Based Anisotropic Hydrogel Composites

Yimin A. Wu, Kam Chiu Tam, Adam F. G. Leontowich, Matthew Godwin, Yunqi Cui, Youchao Teng, Muhammad Shahidul Islam, Yongzan Zhou, Zhilei Zhang, T. C. Chung, Zhe Su
article en
14 citations

Abstract

By integrating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-borate-tannic acid (TA)-sodium sulfate into cellulosic wood matrices, a novel wood-basedPVA-borate-TA-sodium sulfate (WPBTS) hydrogel is successfully synthesized. Through a multicomponent synergistic design combining natural lignocellulose, PVA, borax, TA, and sodium sulfate, multiple dynamic cross-linking mechanisms-dynamic borate bonding, hydrogen bonding, and metal-ligand interactions-are established, resulting in WPBTS hydrogels with exceptional mechanical properties and self-healing capabilities. The mechanical strength of the WPBTS hydrogel reached an impressive 19.8 MPa, a 45-fold increase compared to PVA-borax-tannic acid (PBTS) hydrogels. Furthermore, the assembled WPBTS hydrogel-based flexible sensor demonstrates a remarkably fast response time of just 20 ms and maintains excellent performance in challenging simulated saline environments. This innovation represents a significant advancement in sensor technology and highlights the potential for transformative applications in complex and demanding scenarios.

SmallVol. 21(11)
University of Waterloo (CA), University of California, Los Angeles (US), Nanjing Forestry University (CN), University of Saskatchewan (CA), E-Da Hospital (TW), Canadian Light Source (Canada) (CA), I-Shou University (TW)
Canadian Light Source, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
9.44
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