Construction of Tough Multi-Functional Colloidal Hydrogel with Strong or Weak Force Mediated Aggregation Structure for Sensing and Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Existing conductive hydrogels exhibit several deficiencies, including low mechanical flexibility, poor environmental stability, and incomplete functionality. The lack of systematic structural design strategies presents a significant challenge in achieving these mutually exclusive attributes. In this paper, based on the affinity difference between acrylic acid (AA) and N-(2-hydroxyethyl) acrylamide (NM) relative to the starch chain segment, the solvation level of the starch colloid was adjusted in situ to customize a rigid dispersed phase that can effectively dissipate energy. Simultaneously, the acrylic copolymer PAA/NM establishes a soft phase after polymerization, which optimizes the balance between strength and toughness. The hydrogel exhibits remarkable mechanical properties, demonstrating a stretchability of 1868%, a strength of 0.89 MPa, and a toughness of 9.87 MJ/m3. Furthermore, the binary solvent of water-choline chloride (ChCl), along with the supramolecular network, endows the hydrogel with environmental stability, self-adhesive properties, and antibacterial performance. The multifunctional integrated hydrogel system can be assembled into strain-resistant sensors and triboelectric nanogenerators for applications in the field of flexible electronics. The established engineering strategy can be adapted for other hydrophilic polymers and monomers. This study offers a novel platform for the advancement of flexible electronic materials that exhibit high mechanical performance and multifunctionality.