Self-Healing Liquid Metal Magnetic Hydrogels for Smart Feedback Sensors and High-Performance Electromagnetic Shielding

Hydrogels exhibit potential applications in smart wearable devices because of their exceptional sensitivity to various external stimuli. However, their applications are limited by challenges in terms of issues in biocompatibility, custom shape, and self-healing. Herein, a conductive, stretchable, adaptable, self-healing, and biocompatible liquid metal GaInSn/Ni-based composite hydrogel is developed by incorporating a magnetic liquid metal into the hydrogel framework through crosslinking polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with sodium tetraborate. The excellent stretchability and fast self-healing capability of the PVA/liquid metal hydrogel are derived from its abundant hydrogen binding sites and liquid metal fusion.…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China
• MO
  Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
• SJ
  Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• HP
  Henan Province Foundation for University Key Teacher
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
• PO
  Program of Shanghai Academic Research Leader