FUNDING INFORMATION
PROJECT CODE: PN-IV-P2-2.1-TE-2023-1005. Contract number: 110/2025
ACRONYM: HyWISE
DURATION: 2025 - 2027. STARTING DATE: 07.08.2025
FUNDING PROGRAMME: Human Resources; Subprogram: Young Research Teams
CONTRACTING AUTHORITY: Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding
TOTAL BUDGET: 473.684 lei
ABSTRACT:
Polysaccharides are essential to life and a sustainable future for our planet. Polysaccharides will be at the heart of tomorrow's world, as the transition to sustainable technologies is crucial for the future of humanity. Ionic conductive hydrogels prepared from natural compounds like pullulan, gelatine, and cellulose are ideal candidates for constructing flexible electronics from the perspectives of commercialization and environmental sustainability. However, polysaccharidic hydrogels featuring both high mechanical strength and ionic conductivity remain extremely challenging to achieve because the ionic charge carriers tend to destroy the hydrogen-bonding network among polysaccharides. Here, we propose a supramolecular engineering strategy to enhance the mechanical performance and ionic conductivity of hydrogels by incorporating cellulosic nanofibers (CNFs) via the strong pullulan-gelatin interaction and the ion-regulating ability of CNFs intercalated in the nanostructure. A strong, tough, yet highly ionic conductive and freeze-tolerant material will be successfully realized. These findings open up new perspectives for the design of ionic, conductive hydrogels.
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