Fuente: Journal of applied polymer Lugar: RESEARCH ARTICLE Attributed to the 3D interconnected network formed by the vertex-edge-face structure of Ag NPs-HCNT-G, the electrical conductivity of the hydrogel is significantly enhanced with the minimal filler addition. This hydrogel has perfect mechanical, adhesive, and antibacterial performance and shows potential applications in flexible sensing.

ABSTRACT
A high loading conductive filler is typically required to reach the percolation threshold for composites; however, it leads to a decline in the material's physical and mechanical properties. Here, the conductive hydrogel (PAC-Ag-H-G) with a high-quality 3D interconnected network contained silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), hydroxylated carbon nanotubes (HCNT), and graphene (G) in the matrix of polyacrylic acid/chitosan (PAC) was fabricated. PAC-Ag-H-G showed stretchable properties, good toughness, and breaking strength fatigue resistance. Most importantly, thanks to the 3D interconnected network formed by the vertex-edge-face structure of Ag NPs-HCNT-G, the electrical conductivity of the hydrogel is significantly enhanced with the minimal addition of only 0.2% (relative to AA) of HCNT and GO, respectively. The conductivity of PAC-Ag-H-G1 is 4.27 times that of PAC. It had steady biological or non-biological adhesion and could sensitively detect human joint movements. Additionally, this hydrogel exhibited excellent antibacterial effects against Gram-positive bacteria (S.aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E.coli). PAC-Ag-H-G conductive hydrogel is expected to adhere directly to the human body or the humanoid robot joint bearings for flexible motion monitoring.