Advancements in Biopolymer-Based Functional Hydrogels for Intelligent Wearable Devices and Textiles

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 605

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1 School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
2 Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: crystalline carbon materials for lithium-ion batteries; fuel cells; biosensors
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Guest Editor
School of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: sustainable functional hydrogels; biopolymer composites; biomaterial synthesis and characterization; smart textiles/devices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Growing social, economic and environmental demands increase the need for green and sustainable materials and technologies. Biopolymer-based hydrogels are hydrogels containing polymers produced or derived from living organisms, including plants and microbes. These polymers are naturally abundant, affordable, biodegradable, biocompatible, and eco-friendly, attracting research attention as sustainable alternatives to replace their petroleum-sourced counterparts. Furthermore, their mechanical properties, tunable morphology, easily modifiable structure attributable to their chemical versatility and other unique, inherent physicochemical and structural properties have made them attractive as a suitable backbone for advancing hydrogel technology for widespread applications, including intelligent wearables.

This Special Issue aims to enhance the visibility of research on recent progress in biopolymer-based functional hydrogels and provide a platform for researchers worldwide to share advances and fundamental knowledge in biopolymer-based hydrogels, illuminating future directions to advance hydrogel technology for intelligent wearables. The Special Issue covers, but is not limited to, the synthesis and characterization of hydrogels containing polysaccharides (e.g., alginate, cellulose and its derivatives, chitin, chitosan and their derivatives, starch and xanthan gum) and protein-based polymers (e.g., gelatin and silk) for intelligent wearables such as wearable batteries and smart fabrics. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Hong Zhao
Dr. Kindness Alfred Uyanga
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biopolymer-based hydrogels
  • sustainable microstructure designs
  • intelligent wearables

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 9430 KB  
Article
Micropatterned Composite Hydrogel Sheet with Surface Electronic Conductive Network for Ultrasensitive Strain Sensing
by Ruidong Chu, Mingyu Liu, Wenxia Liu, Zhaoping Song, Guodong Li, Dehai Yu, Xiaona Liu and Huili Wang
Gels 2025, 11(11), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11110913 - 15 Nov 2025
Viewed by 220
Abstract
Conductive hydrogels show great promise for wearable sensors but suffer from low sensitivity in small strain ranges. In this study, we developed a micropatterned composite hydrogel sheet (thickness: 1.2 ± 0.1 mm) by constructing a continuous electronic conductive network of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [...] Read more.
Conductive hydrogels show great promise for wearable sensors but suffer from low sensitivity in small strain ranges. In this study, we developed a micropatterned composite hydrogel sheet (thickness: 1.2 ± 0.1 mm) by constructing a continuous electronic conductive network of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a highly crosslinked micropatterned hydrogel sheet. The sheet was fabricated via a two-step synthesis of a polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid polymer network—crosslinked by Zr4+ in a glycerol-water system—using sandpaper as the template. The first step ensured tight conformity to the template, while the second step preserved the micropattern’s integrity and precision. The reverse sandpaper micropattern enables secure bonding of CNTs to the hydrogel and induces localized stress concentration during stretching. This triggers controllable cracking in the conductive network, allowing the sensor to maintain high sensitivity even in small strain ranges. Consequently, the sensor exhibits ultra-high sensitivity, with gauge factors of 76.1 (0–30% strain) and 203.5 (30–100% strain), alongside a comfortable user experience. It can detect diverse activities, from subtle physiological signals and joint bending to complex hand gestures and athletic postures. Additionally, the micropatterned composite hydrogel sheet also demonstrates self-healing ability, adhesiveness, and conformability, while performing effectively under extreme temperatures and sweaty conditions. This innovative structure and sensing mechanism—leveraging stress concentration and controlled crack formation—provides a strategy for designing wearable electronics with enhanced performance. Full article
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