Bioinspired Keratin-Based Eutectic Hydrogels for Intelligent Health Monitoring and Photothermal Therapy

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2026 Mar 18;18(10):15800-15813. doi: 10.1021/acsami.5c24539. Epub 2026 Mar 5.

Abstract

The development of epidermal sensors that integrate high mechanical strength, excellent sensing performance, self-healing capability, and monitoring and therapeutic functions into conductive hydrogels remains a major challenge. In response to this challenge, a PDA@Ag/PAA/PSBMA/FK eutectic hydrogel was synthesized via a facile one-pot method. The resulting hydrogel exhibited remarkable stretchability (1900%), high ionic conductivity (0.17 S·m-1), excellent low-temperature tolerance, and autonomous self-healing properties. The fabricated sensor exhibited a wide sensing range (2%-1000%) and can effectively monitor motion signals from various human joints. Furthermore, by integrating the sensor with deep learning algorithms, real-time monitoring of wrist soreness associated with wrist conditions and on-demand photothermal therapy were achieved, establishing a closed-loop monitoring-therapeutic platform. This work demonstrates that the PDA@Ag/PAA/PSBMA/FK eutectic hydrogel holds great promise for applications in wearable medical systems, auxiliary rehabilitation assessments, and therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: deep learning; eutectic hydrogel; keratin; motion monitoring; wearable sensor.

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Hydrogels* / chemistry
  • Keratins* / chemistry
  • Monitoring, Physiologic
  • Photothermal Therapy*
  • Wearable Electronic Devices

Substances

  • Hydrogels
  • Keratins