Lignin sulfonate induced ultrafast fabrication of polypyrrole-based conductive organohydrogel for high performance flexible strain and temperature sensor

The ultrafast preparation of electrically conductive hydrogels to endow high sensing performance and temperature tolerance remains a critical challenge. Herein, lignosulfonate sodium-templated polypyrrole (LS-PPy) nanofillers were rapidly introduced into polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel through ultrafast free radical polymerization in a glycerol/water binary solvent system. The resultant LS-PPy/PAA electrically conductive organohydrogel possesses satisfactory mechanical performance (strength of 56 kPa at a tensile strain of 800 %), strong adhesion, and a desirable low freezing point (-35 degrees C). Furthermore, this organohydrogel exhibits high strain sensitivity (gauge factor = 2.65), fast response time (similar to 160 ms), low signal hysteresis, and excellent cyclic stability (over 1200 cycles). And the wearable LS-PPy/PAA organohydrogel sensor could accurately and real-time monitor various intense or subtle human movements, such as joint bending, facial expression and hand writing. Besides, the developed LS-PPy/PAA temperature sensor can respond to environmental temperature variations over a wide range of -20-100 degrees C. High resolution of 0.5 degrees C with remarkable sensitivity (-0.80 %/degrees C and linearity of R-2 = 0.99) and repeatability were achieved within 36.5-40 degrees C, which makes it suitable for human body temperature monitoring. All these results demonstrate the substantial prospective value of the LS-PPy/PAA hydrogel in wearable sensors and other associated fields.