A Highly Sensitive, Low Creep Hydrogel Sensor for Plant Growth Monitoring
Haoyan Xu,
Guangyao Zhang,
Wensheng Wang,
Chenrui Sun,
Hanyu Wang,
Han Wu,
Zhuangzhi Sun
Affiliations
Haoyan Xu
Province Key Laboratory of Forestry Intelligent Equipment Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150000, China
Guangyao Zhang
Province Key Laboratory of Forestry Intelligent Equipment Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150000, China
Wensheng Wang
Province Key Laboratory of Forestry Intelligent Equipment Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150000, China
Chenrui Sun
Province Key Laboratory of Forestry Intelligent Equipment Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150000, China
Hanyu Wang
Province Key Laboratory of Forestry Intelligent Equipment Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150000, China
Han Wu
Province Key Laboratory of Forestry Intelligent Equipment Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150000, China
Zhuangzhi Sun
Province Key Laboratory of Forestry Intelligent Equipment Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150000, China
Ion−conducting hydrogels show significant potential in plant growth monitoring. Nevertheless, traditional ionic hydrogel sensors experience substantial internal creep and inadequate sensitivity, hindering precise plant growth monitoring. In this study, we developed a flexible hydrogel sensor composed of polyvinyl alcohol and acrylamide. The hydrogel sensor exhibits low creep and high sensitivity. Polyvinyl alcohol, acrylamide, and glycerol are crosslinked to create a robust interpenetrating double network structure. The strong interactions, such as van der Waals forces, between the networks minimize hydrogel creep under external stress, reducing the drift ratio by 50% and the drift rate by more than 60%. Additionally, sodium chloride and AgNWs enrich the hydrogel with conductive ions and pathways, enhancing the sensor’s conductivity and demonstrating excellent response time (0.4 s) and recovery time (0.3 s). When used as a sensor for plant growth monitoring, the sensor exhibits sensitivity to small strains and stability for long−term monitoring. This sensor establishes a foundation for developing plant health monitoring systems utilizing renewable biomass materials.
