Conductive, Tough, Transparent, and Self-Healing Hydrogels Based on Catechol–Metal Ion Dual Self-Catalysis

Tough and conductive hydrogels are the promising materials for various applications. However, fabrication of these hydrogels at room or low temperatures, without external stimuli, is a challenge. Herein, a novel dual self-catalytic system composed of a variety of metal ions and catechol-based molecules was developed to efficiently trigger the free-radical polymerization of tough, conductive, transparent, and self-healing hydrogels at low temperature without any external stimuli. Ferric ions (Fe3+) and dopamine (DA) were chosen as model compounds, which form stable redox pairs that act as a dual self-catalytic system to activate ammonium persulfate to generate free radicals. Consequently, the radicals could rapidly trigger the hydrogel self-gelation at low temperatures (6 °C) within 5 s. The dual self-catalytic system opens up a facile route to synthesize multifunctional hydrogels at mild conditions for a broad range of applications, especially in tissue engineering and wearable electronics.