ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomaterials
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1610197
This article is part of the Research TopicInsights in Biomaterials 2025 - Novel Developments, Current Challenges, and Future PerspectivesView all articles
Flexible Wearable Biosensors from Poly(Ionic Liquid) for Real-Time Signal Monitoring
Provisionally accepted
- 1Liaodong University, Dandong, China
- 2Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
- 3Shenyang Fire Science and Technology Research Institute of MEM, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
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The rapid development of modern flexible electronics and wearable technologies has driven an urgent demand for novel materials that combine elasticity and multifunctionality. In this study, an efficient and environmentally friendly one-step ultraviolet (UV) photopolymerization process was employed to develop a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL)-based ionogel. The ratios of ionic liquid monomers, crosslinkers, and photoinitiators were optimized during the synthesis. Specifically, 1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate were mixed and heated, followed by the addition of the crosslinker (MBA) and the photoinitiator (Irgacure-2959). The target product was obtained through UV curing. The crosslinked network of the ionogel combined the chemical crosslinking effect of MBA and the ionic synergy of the ionic liquids, significantly enhancing the mechanical properties and durability of the material. By constructing a multi-crosslinked network, the gel exhibited good mechanical strength, while the uniform distribution of ionic liquids greatly improved its conductivity. Experimental results demonstrated that the ionogel possessed outstanding strain sensing properties (GF = 4.04) and temperature responsiveness, enabling it to detect environmental temperature changes. Additionally, as a biopotential electrode patch, it efficiently captured electromyography (EMG) and electrocardiography (ECG) signals, providing precise data support for health monitoring. Furthermore, the material could stably and accurately transmit Morse code through gestures, thereby expanding its application scope. This PIL-based ionogel emerged as a promising candidate for flexible electronics, health monitoring, and human-machine interaction applications.
Keywords: Ionic gel, Ionic liquid Conductive, Sensing, Bioelectrode, motion monitoring
Received: 11 Apr 2025; Accepted: 09 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Han, Gu, Wang, Tian, Xu, Yang, Liu and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jianshe Hu, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
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