Interface-engineered Ionically Conductive Polyoxometalate-based Hydrogels with High Stretchability and Notch-insensitivity for Wearable Sensors

Xiao-Jiao Shi; Yu-Bin Zhang; Na Li; Yu-Xuan Qiao; Ya Liang; Gong-Kuo Yu; Ai-Hong Su; Ze-Cheng Song; Dan-Dan Song; Ti-Feng Jiao; Zhi-Hui Qin

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3571-3

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Interface-engineered Ionically Conductive Polyoxometalate-based Hydrogels with High Stretchability and Notch-insensitivity for Wearable Sensors

Special Topic: Functional Gels | Updated：2026-05-30

- Interface-engineered Ionically Conductive Polyoxometalate-based Hydrogels with High Stretchability and Notch-insensitivity for Wearable Sensors
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 6, Pages: 1767-1779(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Hebei Key Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology, Hebei Key Laboratory of Heavy Metal Deep-Remediation in Water and Resource Reuse, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
- Author bio：
  
  tfjiao@ysu.edu.cn (T.F.J.)
  zhqin@ysu.edu.cn (Z.H.Q.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3571-3
  CLC：
- Received：29 December 2025，
  
  Accepted：12 January 2026，
  
  Online First：16 April 2026，
  
  Published：05 June 2026
- Accepted：
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Shi, X. J.; Zhang, Y. B.; Li, N.; Qiao, Y. X.; Liang, Y.; Yu, G. K.; Su, A. H.; Song, Z. C.; Song, D. D.; Jiao, T. F.; Qin, Z. H. Interface-engineered ionically conductive polyoxometalate-based hydrogels with high stretchability and notch-insensitivity for wearable sensors. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1767–1779

Xiao-Jiao Shi, Yu-Bin Zhang, Na Li, et al. Interface-engineered Ionically Conductive Polyoxometalate-based Hydrogels with High Stretchability and Notch-insensitivity for Wearable Sensors[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(6): 1767-1779.
Shi, X. J.; Zhang, Y. B.; Li, N.; Qiao, Y. X.; Liang, Y.; Yu, G. K.; Su, A. H.; Song, Z. C.; Song, D. D.; Jiao, T. F.; Qin, Z. H. Interface-engineered ionically conductive polyoxometalate-based hydrogels with high stretchability and notch-insensitivity for wearable sensors. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1767–1779 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3571-3.

Xiao-Jiao Shi, Yu-Bin Zhang, Na Li, et al. Interface-engineered Ionically Conductive Polyoxometalate-based Hydrogels with High Stretchability and Notch-insensitivity for Wearable Sensors[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(6): 1767-1779. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3571-3.

摘要

A tough and notch-insensitive conductive hydrogel is developed by introducing L-arginine-regulated polyoxometalate nano-crosslinking domains. The hydrogel exhibits high stretchability

robust ionic conductivity

and sensitive strain sensing

enabling stable electrocardiogram (ECG) and electromyography (EMG) signal monitoring for wearable bioelectronics.

Abstract

The rapid advancement of wearable sensors necessitates ionically conductive hydrogels that simultaneously exhibit high stretchability

damage tolerance

and reliable adhesion. However

achieving these properties in a single material remains a significant challenge. Herein

we report an ionically conductive polyoxometalate (POM)-based hydrogel (PAA/L-arg@SIW) fabricated by incorporating L-arginine (L-arg)-modified silicotungstic acid nanocomplexes (L-arg@SIW) into a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) network as a multifunctional dynamic crosslinker. Strong electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding between rigid L-arg@SIW nanoclusters and flexible PAA chains generate a three-dimensional hard-soft synergistic network

in which dynamic crosslinks preferentially rupture and re-form under mechanical loading

thereby dissipating energy and suppressing crack propagation. Consequently

the hydrogel exhibits exceptional stretchability (fracture strain

1500%)

high toughness (1483 kJ/m

)

utstanding crack resistance (fracture energy up to 6.82 kJ/m

)

and high ionic conductivity (0.15 S/m)

along with robust adhesion to diverse substrates. Hydrogel-based sensors demonstrate high strain sensitivity (gauge factor (GF)=8.06)

fast response

and excellent cyclic stability

enabling reliable monitoring of human motion and high-fidelity acquisition of electrocardiogram (ECG) and electromyogram (EMG) signals. This study presents an effective strategy for constructing high-performance ionically conductive hydrogels for wearable sensing applications.

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references

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