Robust Conductive Hydrogel with Antibacterial Activity and UV-Shielding Performance

An ultra-tough conductive composite hydrogel with antibacterial activity and UV-shielding performance was prepared via a simple soaking approach. The soaking agent TA@LS-Ag was synthesized via a simple microwave-assisted reduction method using the green biomass tannic acid (TA) and sodium lignosulfonate (LS) as the carrier for silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The TA@LS-Ag/PVA composite hydrogel was then prepared by soaking the pure poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel into the TA@LS-Ag suspension. The dense hydrogen bonding interactions between the hydroxyl groups in the PVA chain and oxygen-containing groups in TA@LS-Ag endowed the composite hydrogel with excellent mechanical properties, including great tensile strength (5.43 MPa), high toughness (30.51 MJ/m3), and outstanding crack resistance performance. The composite hydrogel also exhibited good electrical performance with high conductivity (4.1 S/m) and favorable sensitivity to stretch, compression, bending, and handwriting. In addition, the composite hydrogel exhibited excellent antibacterial activity and UV-blocking property. This study provides a feasible approach for fabricating multifunctional hydrogels, integrating the good mechanical performance with high conductivity, electric sensing, and excellent antibacterial activity for promising flexible electronic applications.