Surfactant-Enhanced Anti-Swelling Hydrogel Flexible Sensor for Machine Learning-Assisted Underwater Gesture Recognition.

Journal: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
Published Date: May 16, 2025

Abstract

Hydrogels hold great promise as flexible sensors. However, the development of hydrogel sensors with exceptional anti-swelling properties and stable performance remains a significant challenge. This study introduced a novel design strategy based on surfactant-assisted hydrophobic associative hydrogels. Through free-radical copolymerization in the presence of the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, hydrogels with outstanding mechanical properties, excellent anti-swelling capabilities, and superior sensing performance are successfully fabricated. The resulting hydrogel demonstrated remarkable anti-swelling behavior (swelling ratio: -2.3%), exceptional mechanical strength (breaking strain: 3594.5%), and sustained fatigue resistance during repeated underwater loading-unloading cycles (1000 cycles). Integrating the hydrogel sensor with machine learning, precise and stable underwater gesture recognition and motion monitoring are achieved with an accuracy of 98.3%. This study provides a new perspective for advancing flexible underwater sensor technologies and underscores their broad potential in smart wearable devices, health monitoring, and underwater exploration.

Authors

  • Xin Jiao
    School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China.
  • Dengke Song
    School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
  • Junjie Ding
    State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, China.
  • Jiayu Li
    School of Tourism and Geography, School of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, China.
  • Kexin Ding
    Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28262, USA.
  • Fanlun Meng
    Department of Breast Surgery, Fuyang Cancer Hospital, Fuyang, China.
  • Hui Zheng
    Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
  • Wenlong Xu
    China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China.

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