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

doi:10.3390/s24196197

Sensors (Sep 2024)

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

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s24196197
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 24, no. 19
p. 6197

Abstract

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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.

Published in Sensors

ISSN: 1424-8220 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Chemical technology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors

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