Soft electronic materials that can transmit electrical signals while withstanding mechanical deformation are essential for wearable sensors, soft robotics, and human-machine interfaces. Hydrogels, water-rich polymer networks whose mechanical properties closely resemble those of biological tissues, are among the most promising candidates for these applications. However, hydrogels are inherently vulnerable to mechanical damage such as cracks and punctures during repeated use, which compromises their long-term reliability and limits widespread adoption.
A team of researchers led by Linbo Zhang, a professor in the School of Electronic Science and Engineering at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in Chengdu, China, has now developed a sea cucumber-inspired ionotronic hydrogel that overcomes these limitations. The hydrogel, termed AETC, integrates room-temperature self-healing, strong intrinsic adhesion, and interfacial capacitive sensing in a single material system. The team published their work in Nano Research on August 20, 2026.
Sea cucumbers, marine echinoderms known for their remarkable damage tolerance, possess body walls enriched in polypeptide chains bearing numerous hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors that can reversibly form and break hydrogen bonds. Inspired by this hierarchical architecture and the ion dynamics of sea cucumber tissue, the researchers designed the AETC hydrogel by combining an ionic monomer with tannic acid, a natural hydrogen-bond-forming agent. The resulting hydrogel network features reversible ionic electrostatic interactions and dynamic hydrogen-bonding networks that enable effective self-healing under ambient conditions.
“In this work, we present a sea cucumber-inspired ionotronic hydrogel that combines intrinsic adhesion, room-temperature self-healing, and interfacial capacitive sensing,” said Linbo Zhang, senior author of the study and a professor in the School of Electronic Science and Engineering at UESTC. “The reversible ionic interactions and dynamic hydrogen bonds enable effective self-healing and strong adhesion, while the pressure-dependent interfacial contact evolution enables sensitive capacitive signal transduction.”
The AETC hydrogel exhibits exceptional stretchability exceeding 1000%, a high ionic conductivity of over 0.49 S m−1, and strong adhesion to a variety of substrates including glass, plastic, metal, and silicone. When damaged by cuts or punctures, the hydrogel can autonomously heal at room temperature without any external stimuli, recovering nearly 100% of its electrical conductivity and maintaining substantial mechanical strength.
To demonstrate its sensing capabilities, the researchers fabricated an ionotronic sensor by placing a microstructured AETC hydrogel film between two copper electrodes. The sensor achieved a high sensitivity of approximately 20.6 kPa−1, a wide detection range of up to 1 MPa, and rapid response and recovery times of about 30 and 40 ms, respectively. It also showed excellent long-term stability over 10,000 seconds of continuous operation.
As a proof of concept, the team integrated the hydrogel-based sensors into a smart tactile glove. The glove successfully performed real-time tactile sensing across five fingers, recognized five different object shapes with an overall accuracy of 99.3%, and decoded directional intents for controlling an obstacle avoidance game. “This work provides a simple yet effective strategy for developing adhesive, self-healing ionotronic platforms for wearable sensing and human-machine interaction,” Zhang said. “We envision that this hydrogel system could be broadly applied in smart prosthetics, soft robotics, health monitoring, and immersive interactive technologies.”
Other contributors include Kai Zheng, Ruoyu Yang, Qichao Dong, and Huying Yan from the School of Electronic Science and Engineering at UESTC; Jian Wu from the School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering at UESTC; and Xianyu Jiang from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Xihua University in Chengdu, China.
This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of the Ministry of Education of China (No. A1098531023601472), the Open Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices (KFJJ202505), and the Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Disciplines Breakthrough Plan of the Ministry of Education of China (JYB2025XDXM102).
Journal: Nano Research
DOI: 10.26599/NR.2026.94908892
Article Title: Sea cucumber-inspired self-healing ionotronic hydrogel for tactile sensing and human-machine interaction
Publication Date: August 20, 2026
Source: Tsinghua University Press