High toughness, high stability and low hysteresis PVA /HPMC/PA/SBMA/ZnCl2 conductive hydrogels for wearable flexible electronics for multifunctional sensors and supercapacitors

PVA-based conductive hydrogels have enormous potential for applications in wearable flexible electronic devices, but their low ionic conductivity and mechanical strength hinder their practical utility. To address this challenge, we propose a PVA-based incorporating metal salt and zwitterion. We use PA(phytic acid) and HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) - compatible properties to prepare PSBMA₁-PMAZ_1.5 interpenetrating conductive hydrogel with good electrical signal responsiveness, repeatability, compression resistance, and low hysteresis (≤11.68 %). The hydrogel-based flexible strain sensor has a wide detection range, high sensitivity (GF = 1.1 at 0 − 600 %), stable electrical signal response to variations in temperature and humidity, and human movement detection capabilities. The detection range of hydrogel - based supercapacitors is 25 °C - 40 °C, which indicates that the device assembled with activated carbon as the electrode has good capacitance characteristics, and the multifunctional characteristics of PSBMA₁-PMAZ_1.5 hydrogels are poised to serve as a demonstration for a new generation of flexible electronic products.