Research Information System
MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS, vol.36, pp.106540-106552, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
Characterizing the effects of parameters such as the swelling ratio, composition, and applied current frequency of
hydrogels is crucial for the development of flexible, stretchable, and electrically conductive hydrogels that are of
importance in a variety of biomedical applications. In this study, poly(Acrylamide) (PAAm), alginate (Alg) and
crystalline nanocellulose (CNC) based stretchable PAAm/Alg/CNC/rGO hydrogels containing different amounts
of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in their structure were synthesized. To increase the electrical conductivity of
these hydrogels, their composites with polyaniline (PANI) were prepared. The chemical composition and
morphological characterizations were performed using FT-IR and SEM analysis techniques. Since the amount of
PANI formed in the structure of hydrogel composites was directly proportional to the amount of rGO in the
structure, swelling, mechanical and electrical conductivity properties changed depending on the amount of rGO.
The swelling ratio and mechanical strength of the PAAm/Alg/CNC/rGO/PANI hydrogel composite series varied
between 38 and 50 g water/ g polymer and 76.02–375.95 kPa, respectively. The electrical conductivities of their
25% swollen states at 10 4 MHz ranged from 15.4 to 20.20 S/m. Flex sensor, smart hydrogel fingers and
electrocardiogram (ECG) electrode applications were tested. The synthesized hydrogel composite systems were
quite successful in these biomedical applications as bioelectronic materials.