PVA / CS / MXene ‐ LiCl Flexible Material With Multiple Physical I

ABSTRACT

Flexible sensors have attracted considerable attention in wearable electronics and health monitoring. However, achieving high mechanical robustness while maintaining effective sensing performance remains challenging for hydrogel‐based flexible sensors, as mechanical reinforcement may compromise sensing sensitivity. Herein, PVA/CS/MXene‐LiCl flexible materials were fabricated through CS doping, LiCl modification, and 100% pre‐stretching treatment, aiming to achieve a favorable balance between mechanical robustness and sensing performance. The optimized PVA/CS/MXene‐LiCl material exhibits excellent mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 1.02 MPa, compressive strength of 2.2 MPa, and toughness of 1.388 MJ/m ³ . Meanwhile, it maintains effective sensing capability, with a conductivity of 174 μS/cm, gauge factors of 0.47 and 0.90 in the strain ranges of 1%–30% and 30%–70%, respectively, and a rapid response/recovery time of 52.1/54 ms. The balanced mechanical and sensing performances are associated with the synergistic integration of the PVA/CS polymer network and the MXene/LiCl ionic‐electronic conductive system. Furthermore, proof‐of‐concept demonstrations show that the flexible material can detect mechanical stimuli ranging from finger bending to subtle pulse and eye‐winking signals. This work demonstrates a simple strategy for integrating mechanical robustness, strain sensing capability, and rapid electromechanical response in PVA‐based flexible sensing materials, providing potential for wearable sensing and human health monitoring.