Smart conductive nanocomposite hydrogel containing green synthesized nanosilver for use in an eco-friendly strain sensor

Eco-friendly smart nanocomposite hydrogels were developed in this study. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using extracted sugarcane leaves were incorporated into hydrogel-based polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethyl cellulose, glycerol, and borax. Different concentrations of silver nitrate at 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 mM were used to obtain AgNPs (AgNPs-5, AgNPs-10, AgNPs-20, AgNPs-30, and AgNPs-50, respectively). The presence of glycerol and AgNPs in hydrogel improved the long-term stability of hydrogel. Uniform dispersion of AgNPs-30 in the hydrogel provided the highest tensile strength and strain. After the self-healing test, the hydrogel containing AgNPs were found to have tensile properties comparable to those of conductive hydrogels in previous reports. The conductivity values ranged from 0.14 mS/m to 0.22 S/m. The hydrogel containing AgNPs-30 showed the highest gauge factor (GF) of 5.76 at a stretchability of 265%. The hydrogel containing AgNPs with a low-cost and environment-friendly fabrication process could be applied as a strain sensor.