Premium
Fully Printed Flexible Smart Hybrid Hydrogels
Author(s) -
Zhou Yang,
Layani Michael,
Wang Shancheng,
Hu Peng,
Ke Yujie,
Magdassi Shlomo,
Long Yi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201705365
Subject(s) - materials science , self healing hydrogels , hybrid material , inkwell , layer (electronics) , curing (chemistry) , electrical conductor , electrode , flexible display , composite material , nanotechnology , 3d printed , polymer chemistry , thin film transistor , biomedical engineering , medicine , chemistry
Abstract A printable hybrid hydrogel is fabricated by embedding poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) microparticles within a water‐rich silica‐alumina(Si/Al)‐based gel matrix. The hybrid gel holds water content of up to 70 wt%, due to its unique Si/Al matrix. The hybrid hydrogel can respond to both heat and electrical stimuli, and can be directly printed layer‐by‐layer using a commercial 3‐dimensional printer, without requiring any curing. The hybrid ink is printed onto a transparent, flexible conductive electrode composed of silver nanoparticles and sustains bending angles of up to 180°, which enables patterning of various flexible devices such as smart windows and a 3D optical waveguide valve.