Strain-induced orientation facilitates the fabrication of highly stretchable and tough xylan-based hydrogel for strain sensors

Lisong Hu; Yitong Xie; Shishuai Gao; Xiaoyu Shi; Chenhuan Lai; Daihui Zhang; Chuanwei Lu; Yi Liu; Lei Du; Xuezhi Fang; Feng Xu; Chunpeng Wang; Fuxiang Chu

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120827

Strain-induced orientation facilitates the fabrication of highly stretchable and tough xylan-based hydrogel for strain sensors

Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Jul 15:312:120827. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120827. Epub 2023 Mar 20.

Authors

Lisong Hu¹, Yitong Xie², Shishuai Gao³, Xiaoyu Shi³, Chenhuan Lai⁴, Daihui Zhang⁵, Chuanwei Lu⁴, Yi Liu⁶, Lei Du⁷, Xuezhi Fang⁸, Feng Xu⁶, Chunpeng Wang³, Fuxiang Chu³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu, China; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China; Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Daqiao Road73#, Hangzhou 311400, Zhejiang, China.
² Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu, China; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China; Key Laboratory of Wood Material Science and Application, Ministry of Education, MOE Engineering Research Center of Forestry Biomass Materials and Energy, Beijing Forestry University, 100083 Beijing, China.
³ Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu, China; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China.
⁴ Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China.
⁵ Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu, China; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China; Key Laboratory of Wood Material Science and Application, Ministry of Education, MOE Engineering Research Center of Forestry Biomass Materials and Energy, Beijing Forestry University, 100083 Beijing, China. Electronic address: daihui.zhang@mail.mcgill.ca.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Wood Material Science and Application, Ministry of Education, MOE Engineering Research Center of Forestry Biomass Materials and Energy, Beijing Forestry University, 100083 Beijing, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 200237 Shanghai, China. Electronic address: dulei@ecust.edu.cn.
⁸ Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Daqiao Road73#, Hangzhou 311400, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: fxzhn@163.com.

PMID: 37059554
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120827

Abstract

Stretchable and tough polysaccharide-based functional hydrogels have gained popularity for various applications. However, it still remains a great challenge to simultaneously own satisfactory stretchability and toughness, particularly when incorporating renewable xylan to offer sustainability. Herein, we describe a novel stretchable and tough xylan-based conductive hydrogel utilizing the natural feature of rosin derivative. The effect of different compositions on the mechanical properties and the physicochemical properties of corresponding xylan-based hydrogels were systematically investigated. Owing to the multiple non-covalent interactions among different components to dissipate energies and the strain-induced orientation of rosin derivative during the stretching, the highest tensile strength, strain, and toughness of xylan-based hydrogels could reach 0.34 MPa, 2098.4 %, and 3.79 ± 0.95 MJ/m³, respectively. Furthermore, by incorporating MXene as the conductive fillers, the strength and toughness of hydrogels were further enhanced to 0.51 MPa and 5.95 ± 1.19 MJ/m³. Finally, the synthesized xylan-based hydrogels were able to serve as a reliable and sensitive strain sensor to monitor the movements of human beings. This study provides new insights to develop stretchable and tough conductive xylan-based hydrogel, especially utilizing the natural feature of bio-based resources.

Keywords: MXene; Rosin; Strain sensors; Stretchable and tough hydrogel; Xylan.

MeSH terms

Electric Conductivity
Humans
Hydrogels*
Movement
Xylans*

Substances

Xylans
Hydrogels
MXene