Fe3+-Modulated In Situ Formation of Hydrogels with Tunable Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Fe3+-incorporated hydrogels are particularly valuable for wearable devices due to their tunable mechanical properties and ionic conductivity. However, conventional immersion-based fabrication fundamentally limits hydrogel performance because of heterogeneous ion distribution, ionic leaching, and scalability limitations. To overcome these challenges, we report a novel one-pot strategy where controlled amounts of Fe3+ are directly added to polyacrylamide-sodium acrylate (PAM-SA) precursor solutions, ensuring homogeneous ion distribution. Combining this with Photoinduced Electron/Energy Transfer Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain Transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization enables efficient hydrogel fabrication under open-vessel conditions, improving its scalability. Fe3+ concentration achieves unprecedented modulation of mechanical properties: Young’s modulus (10 to 150 kPa), toughness (0.26 to 2.3 MJ/m3), and strain at break (800% to 2500%). The hydrogels also exhibit excellent compressibility (90% strain recovery), energy dissipation (>90% dissipation efficiency at optimal Fe3+ levels), and universal adhesion to diverse surfaces (plastic, metal, PTFE, and cardboard). Finally, these Fe3+-incorporated hydrogels demonstrated high effectiveness as strain sensors for monitoring finger/elbow movements, with gauge factors dependent on composition. This work provides a scalable, oxygen-tolerant route to tunable hydrogels for advanced wearable devices.