Anti‐freezing, Conductive Self‐healing Organohydrogels with Stable Strain‐Sensitivity at Subzero Temperatures

TLDR

Conductive hydrogels are stretchable materials useful in many applications, but water‑based versions lose elasticity and conductivity below zero degrees, limiting low‑temperature use. The study aims to create anti‑freezing conductive organohydrogels by employing an H₂O/ethylene glycol binary solvent as the dispersion medium. The binary solvent forms hydrogen bonds with PVA chains, inducing PVA crystallization and enhancing mechanical strength while maintaining conductivity. These organohydrogels remain flexible and strain‑sensitive from −55 °C to 44.6 °C, and their non‑covalent crosslinks provide remoldability and self‑healing, making them suitable for practical applications.

Abstract

Abstract Conductive hydrogels are a class of stretchable conductive materials that are important for various applications. However, water‐based conductive hydrogels inevitably lose elasticity and conductivity at subzero temperatures, which severely limits their applications at low temperatures. Herein we report anti‐freezing conductive organohydrogels by using an H 2 O/ethylene glycol binary solvent as dispersion medium. Owing to the freezing tolerance of the binary solvent, our organohydrogels exhibit stable flexibility and strain‐sensitivity in the temperature range from −55.0 to 44.6 °C. Meanwhile, the solvent molecules could form hydrogen bonds with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) chains and induce the crystallization of PVA, greatly improving the mechanical strength of the organohydrogels. Furthermore, the non‐covalent crosslinks endow the conductive organohydrogels with intriguing remoldability and self‐healing capability, which are important for practical applications.