What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to create a hydrogel that combines high mechanical durability with excellent conductivity for wearable technology.

February 11, 2026Open Access

Bioinspired Structural Design Enables Synergistic Toughness and Conductivity in Hydrogels for Advanced Wearable Electronics

Key Points

The research aims to create a hydrogel that combines high mechanical durability with excellent conductivity for wearable technology.
Developed a nanofiber-reinforced conductive hydrogel using poly(vinyl alcohol), aramid nanofibers, and PEDOT:PSS.
Utilized solvent- and thermally induced structural reorganization to achieve a bi-continuous architecture.
Tested the hydrogel's mechanical strength and conductivity through various deformation scenarios.
Integrated the hydrogel with a convolutional neural network for gesture recognition.
Achieved high tensile strength of 10.72 MPa and ultrahigh conductivity of 452.75 S m −1.
Demonstrated stable conduction during impact and complex deformation.
Enabled multimodal sensing for joint motion and electrophysiological signals.
Achieved 99.54% accuracy in recognizing five complex hand gestures.

Abstract

Abstract Conductive hydrogels are revolutionizing the fields of wearable sensors, implantable bioelectronics, and soft robotics. However, achieving both mechanical robustness and high conductivity within a single system remains challenging. Here, inspired by the cooperative vascular–neural networks in biological tissues, we develop a nanofiber-reinforced conductive hydrogel composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), aramid nanofibers (ANFs), and in situ polymerized PEDOT:PSS. Through solvent- and thermally induced structural reorganization, the hydrogel evolves into a bi-continuous architecture in which the mechanical and conductive networks are intimately coupled. The tough, ANF-reinforced porous PVA mimics the vascular system, providing mechanical support and maintaining toughness, while the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) network resembles neural pathways, enabling efficient electron transport. This structural evolution enables a rare synergy of high tensile strength (10.72 MPa) and ultrahigh conductivity (452.75 S m −1 ) with excellent biocompatibility. The hydrogel maintains stable conduction under impact and complex deformation, supporting multimodal sensing from large-amplitude joint motion to low-amplitude electrophysiological signals: electrocardiographic and electromyographic. When integrated with a convolutional neural network, it achieves 99.54% accuracy in recognizing five complex hand gestures. This bioinspired strategy paves the way for developing robust and conductive hydrogels toward next-generation intelligent wearable electronics.

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