Citation: Kunda Yao, Yue Shen, Chao Chen, Fengxiang Qin, Shuyan Song, Xiaochen Dong, Wei Liu. Physically and chemically crosslinked rare-earth-doped hydrogels with dual fluorescence/conductive sensing abilities[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(10): 111531. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111531 shu

Physically and chemically crosslinked rare-earth-doped hydrogels with dual fluorescence/conductive sensing abilities

Kunda Yao ^a ,
Yue Shen ^a ,
Chao Chen ^b ,
Fengxiang Qin ^a ,
Shuyan Song ^b ,
Xiaochen Dong ^c ,
Wei Liu ^{a, b, *,}

a.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
b.
State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
c.
School of Chemistry & Materials Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China; Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (KLOFE) and Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China

weiliu@ciac.ac.cn

Received Date: 7 May 2025
Revised Date: 26 June 2025
Accepted Date: 2 July 2025
Available Online: 3 July 2025

Figures(5)

Rare-earth-doped fluorescent hydrogels, while effective for optical sensing, often have limited functionality due to weak physical crosslinking. Stretchable chemically crosslinked conductive hydrogel sensors, essential for adhering to the human body to monitor movements, typically hinder fluorescence. This is caused by the opacity of conductive components, and adhesion molecules like catechol may quench fluorescence. These constraints limit the multifunctional applications of hydrogels that combine both physical and chemical crosslinking. In this study, we blend and polymerize acrylamide (AM), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS), and iminodiacetic acid (IDA)-modified carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC—Na) to form hydrogels, while introducing rare-earth elements to achieve synergistic benefits. This novel approach yields hydrogels with low hysteresis, high strain (1150%), ultra-fast response capability (50 ms), and high sensitivity (GF = 5.03), facilitated by the physical crosslinking of rare-earth ions. By adjusting the IDA content or the Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ ratio, we can precisely control the hydrogel’s brightness, achieving tunable red/yellow/green fluorescence variations through radiative transitions. Additionally, we have developed, for the first time, a fluorescence/conductivity dual-channel sensor that responds to pressure changes by displaying color shifts. This represents a new strategy for multifunctional rare-earth-doped hydrogels and flexible sensing applications.
- Hydrogel,
- Multifunctional,
- Fluorescence,
- Rare earth,
- Dual channel sensor
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