Bamboo‐Basket‐Inspired Stepwise Modulated Hydrogel for Multifunctional and Extreme‐Environment Sensing

ABSTRACT Flexible sensing technology shows significant potential in expanding human perception during extreme explorations. However, traditional conductive hydrogel sensors cannot withstand harsh environments, and related modification strategies often overlook the consideration of multidimensional performance. To solve this problem, this study introduces a stepwise hydrogen‐bond modulation strategy inspired by bamboo basket weaving. Based on this strategy, we fabricated a series of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/oxidized carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (OCMC‐Na)/gelatin (Gel)‐x (PCG‐x) hydrogels, of which the PCG‐0.5 hydrogel exhibits exceptional mechanical properties (4.9 MPa at 739% strain), high conductivity (4.2 mS cm −1 ), ultra‐low glass transition temperature (−92.1 °C), and excellent biocompatibility. This strategy effectively mitigates the common trade‐offs among sensing performance, mechanical strength, and biocompatibility in conventional modification approaches. In practical tests, PCG‐0.5 facilitated Morse code communication in seawater and gesture‐based communication at an ultra‐low temperature condition of −76.6 °C, achieving 99.8% classification accuracy with a convolutional neural network (CNN). This study provides a new materials strategy for developing highly reliable flexible sensors in harsh environments, opening new avenues for applications in smart sports, specialized robotics, and advanced equipment.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2026-01-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202531290
Primary Topic
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
Type
article
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article

Bamboo‐Basket‐Inspired Stepwise Modulated Hydrogel for Multifunctional and Extreme‐Environment Sensing

Qiangqiang Zhou, Steven Yang, Ruiqian Guo, Xiaoling Wei et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
article

Bamboo‐Basket‐Inspired Stepwise Modulated Hydrogel for Multifunctional and Extreme‐Environment Sensing

Qiangqiang Zhou, Steven Yang, Ruiqian Guo, Xiaoling Wei, Xuanbo Zhao, Weiqi Shi, Wanlu Zhang, Rongjun Zhang, Shaojun Fang, Chen Hu
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Flexible sensing technology shows significant potential in expanding human perception during extreme explorations. However, traditional conductive hydrogel sensors cannot withstand harsh environments, and related modification strategies often overlook the consideration of multidimensional performance. To solve this problem, this study introduces a stepwise hydrogen‐bond modulation strategy inspired by bamboo basket weaving. Based on this strategy, we fabricated a series of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/oxidized carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (OCMC‐Na)/gelatin (Gel)‐x (PCG‐x) hydrogels, of which the PCG‐0.5 hydrogel exhibits exceptional mechanical properties (4.9 MPa at 739% strain), high conductivity (4.2 mS cm −1 ), ultra‐low glass transition temperature (−92.1 °C), and excellent biocompatibility. This strategy effectively mitigates the common trade‐offs among sensing performance, mechanical strength, and biocompatibility in conventional modification approaches. In practical tests, PCG‐0.5 facilitated Morse code communication in seawater and gesture‐based communication at an ultra‐low temperature condition of −76.6 °C, achieving 99.8% classification accuracy with a convolutional neural network (CNN). This study provides a new materials strategy for developing highly reliable flexible sensors in harsh environments, opening new avenues for applications in smart sports, specialized robotics, and advanced equipment.

Advanced Functional Materials
Fudan University (CN), Shanghai Stomatological Hospital (CN), Robotics Research (United States) (US)
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 87%
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
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