抗冻水凝胶的制备及其在柔性电子领域的应用

水凝胶具有优异的柔韧性、离子运输性和可调的机械性,在柔性电子领域具有广阔的应用前景。然而,水凝胶电子器件在严寒气候下容易冻结失效,严重限制了其在低温环境下的应用潜力。向水凝胶中引入低温防护剂可以赋予水凝胶抗冻性能,拓宽水凝胶电子器件的工作温度。该文从溶质离子、离子液体、有机溶剂以及抗冻蛋白改性水凝胶4个方面,综述了近年来抗冻水凝胶的制备方法和抗冻机理;阐述了抗冻水凝胶在超级电容器、传感器和电池等柔性电子领域的应用进展;归纳了抗冻水凝胶电子材料面临的问题与挑战,并展望了抗冻水凝胶电子材料的发展趋势;最后指出以天然可再生资源为原料开发具有优异机械性能、电化学性能、生物无毒性、生物相容性和生物可降解的抗冻水凝胶成为下一步研究重点,同时设计优化柔性电子装置、提高器件安全可靠性和输出稳定性也将成为重要的研究方向之一。抗冻水凝胶的制备及其应用研究将促进柔性电子功能材料领域的快速发展。

Preparation of anti-freezing hydrogels and its application in flexible electronics

Hydrogels have plentiful insights and opportunities in flexible and wearable fields due to their excellent flexibility, ion transport, and adjustable mechanical properties. However, hydrogel electronic devices are prone to freeze in cold climate, which severely limits the application potential of hydrogel electronic materials in cold environments. By introducing cryoprotectants into hydrogels, the anti-freezing properties of hydrogels can be endowed and the working temperature of hydrogels electronic devices also can be broadened. In this review, the preparation methods and freeze-tolerance mechanisms of anti-freezing hydrogels in recent years were summarized from the aspects of solute ions, ionic liquids, organic solvents or antifreeze proteins-modified hydrogels. Furthermore, the application progress of anti-freezing hydrogels in flexible electronics such as the supercapacitor, sensor, and battery were expounded thoroughly, and their problems and challenges were concluded. Finally, the development trend of anti-freezing hydrogel electronic materials was prospected, and it was pointed out that the utilization of natural raw materials in the exploration of anti-freezing hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties, electrochemical performances, bionontoxicity, biocompatibility and biodegradability will become the focus of further research, while the design optimization of flexible electronic devices, the improvement of the safe reliability of devices, and the output stability will be also an important research direction. The preparations and applications of anti-freezing hydrogels will promote the rapid development of flexible electronic functional materials.