Nanocellulose-mediated transparent high strength conductive hydrogel based on in-situ formed polypyrrole nanofibrils as a multimodal sensor

Jianfei Tie; Hongbin Chai; Zhiping Mao; Linping Zhang; Yi Zhong; Xiaofeng Sui; Hong Xu

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118600

Nanocellulose-mediated transparent high strength conductive hydrogel based on in-situ formed polypyrrole nanofibrils as a multimodal sensor

Carbohydr Polym. 2021 Dec 1:273:118600. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118600. Epub 2021 Aug 24.

Authors

Jianfei Tie¹, Hongbin Chai¹, Zhiping Mao², Linping Zhang¹, Yi Zhong¹, Xiaofeng Sui³, Hong Xu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Lab of Science and Technology of Eco-textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology of DHU, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China.
² Key Lab of Science and Technology of Eco-textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology of DHU, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; National Manufacturing Innovation Center of Advanced Dyeing and Finishing Technology, Taian City, Shandong Province 271000, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: zhpmao@dhu.edu.cn.
³ Key Lab of Science and Technology of Eco-textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Key Lab of Science and Technology of Eco-textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology of DHU, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: hxu@dhu.edu.cn.

PMID: 34561000
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118600

Abstract

A simple method was provided to prepare a transparent, highly conductive, mechanically reinforced, stretchable, and compressible hydrogel. In this system, pyrrole (Py) monomers were gently polymerized and uniformly deposited on the surface of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) via the improved in-situ polymerization. In the opaque PPy@CNF suspension, acrylamide monomers (AM) were dissolved and radical-polymerized to construct the PPy@CNF-PAM hydrogel with the in-situ formation of PPy nanofibrils in the presence of excess ammonium persulfate (APS). The in-situ formed PPy nanofibrils were well intertwined with the CNF and PAM chains, and a highly conductive path was established and permitted visible light to pass through. The amphipathic CNF took along and dispersed PPy aggregates well, and reinforced the hydrogel after formation of PPy nanofibrils. In view of the improved mechanical compressive, stretchable properties and excellent electrical conductivity (4.5 S/m), the resulting hydrogels could serve as a potential electrical device in a range of applications.

Keywords: Cellulose nanofiber; Conductive; Flexible sensor; Hydrogel; Polypyrrole.