Flexible conductive sodium alginate/chitosan foam with good mechanical properties and magnetic sensitivity. (8th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fu, Yu; Wan, Zhenshuai; Zhao, Gang; Jia, Weikun; Zhao, Honghao
• Is Part Of: Smart materials and structures. Volume 30:Number 7(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-06-08
• Subjects: conductive porous foam -- biological crosslinking -- double-network -- magnetic-responsive performance -- magnetic field sensor; Smart materials -- Periodicals; Strucural design -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-665X/ac03c4
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0964-1726

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, a novel flexible conductive sodium alginate/chitosan (SA/CS) foam with double-network structure based on dual-coated magnetic particles (MPs) was prepared by a biological crosslinking process of natural biopolymers. The structural characterization, response deformation and magnetic-field-dependent electric performance for different foams were investigated, and they were significantly dependent on the mass ratio of SA/CS, the contents of glycerol and MPs. By increasing SA and CS, the electrostatic interactions of double-network enhanced, leading to an increase in its binding force with the MPs, so the magnetic-responsive performance was strongly improved. Meanwhile, the resistance displayed a remarkable variation under the magnetic fields. For instance, the resistance of the sample with a mass ratio of 3:3 decreased with the magnetic flux densities (0.10–0.40 T) and it ranged from 14.8–6.83 kΩ, which reduced by about 53.9%. Moreover, the periodic measurements were applied so as to verify its recoverability and repeatability. Furthermore, a possible mechanism was provided to explain the magnetic-responsive behavior of the samples. Because of the superior magnetic controllability and preeminent mechanical performance, the conductive porous foam is promising in the fields of artificial electric skins, soft sensors and actuators.