3D Printing of Stretchable, Adhesive and Conductive Ti3C2Tx-Polyacrylic Acid Hydrogels.

ABSTRACT

Stretchable, adhesive, and conductive hydrogels have been regarded as ideal interfacial materials for seamless and biocompatible integration with the human body. However, existing hydrogels can rarely achieve good mechanical, electrical, and adhesive properties simultaneously, as well as limited patterning/manufacturing techniques posing severe challenges to bioelectronic research and their practical applications. Herein, we develop a stretchable, adhesive, and conductive Ti3C2Tx-polyacrylic acid hydrogel by a simple pre-crosslinking method followed by successive direct ink writing 3D printing. Pre-polymerization of acrylic acid can be initiated by mechanical mixing with Ti3C2Tx nanosheet suspension, leading to the formation of viscous 3D printable ink. Secondary free radical polymerization of the ink patterns via 3D printing can achieve a stretchable, adhesive, and conductive Ti3C2Tx-polyacrylic acid hydrogel. The as-formed hydrogel exhibits remarkable stretchability (~622%), high electrical conductivity (5.13 S m-1), and good adhesion strength on varying substrates. We further demonstrate the capability of facilely printing such hydrogels into complex geometries like mesh and rhombus patterns with high resolution and robust integration.