Researcher(s)
- Hashil Alismaili, Marine Science, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Laure Kayser, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware
Abstract
Hydrogels are three-dimensional network structures that contain a high percentage of water in their structure, thus giving them properties such as mechanical softness, flexibility, and biocompatibility. When combining hydrogels with electrically conductive polymers and choosing specific monomers, the hydrogel could be conductive and adhesive. These characteristics garner tremendous interest in biomedicine and wearable electronics applications due to their bridging capabilities between biological tissue and hard electronics. However, finding a balance between the properties of hydrogels and conductive hydrogels has been challenging. Herein, the hydrogel consisting of sodium styrene sulfonate (SS), [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide (SBMA), and 3,4–poly(ethylenedioxythiophene diethylene glycol (PEDOT-DEG), a conducting polymer, was synthesized. This conductive and adhesive hydrogel showed a 30% strain at break, an elastic modulus of 50 kPa, and a conductivity of 6.3 mS/m. This adhesive and conductive hydrogel could be used in neural interfaces, biosensors, electrostimulation, and other bioelectronic applications.