Anti-freezing hydrogel regulated by ice-structuring proteins/cellulose nanofibers system as flexible sensor for winter sports

Conductive hydrogels are widely used as sensors in wearable devices. However, hydrogels cannot endure harsh low-temperature environments. Herein, a new regulatory system based on natural ice-structuring proteins (ISPs) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) is introduced into hydrogel network consisting of chemically crosslinked network of copolymerized acrylamide and 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, and physically crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol chains, affording an anti-freezing hydrogel with high conductivity (2.63 S/m). These hydrogels show excellent adhesion behavior to various matrices (including aluminum, glass, pigskin, and plastic). Their mechanical properties are significantly improved with the increase in CNF content (tensile strength of 106.4 kPa, elastic modulus of 133.8 kPa). In addition, ISPs inhibit the growth of ice. This endows the hydrogels with anti-freezing property and allows them to maintain satisfactory mechanical properties, conductivity and sensing properties below zero degrees. Moreover, this hydrogel shows high sensitivity to tensile and compressive deformation (GF = 5.07 at 600–800 % strain). Therefore, it can be utilized to develop strain-type pressure sensors that can be attached directly to human skin for detecting various body motions accurately, reliably, and stably. This study proposes a simple strategy to improve the anti-freezing property of hydrogels, which provides new insights for developing flexible hydrogel electronic devices for application in winter sports.