Self‐Healing Hydrogel Bioelectronics

Abstract

AbstractHydrogels have emerged as powerful building blocks to develop various soft bioelectronics because of their tissue‐like mechanical properties, superior bio‐compatibility, the ability to conduct both electrons and ions, and multiple stimuli‐responsiveness. However, hydrogels are vulnerable to mechanical damage, which limits their usage in developing durable hydrogel‐based bioelectronics. Self‐healing hydrogels aim to endow bioelectronics with the property of repairing specific functions after mechanical failure, thus improving their durability, reliability, and longevity. This review discusses recent advances in self‐healing hydrogels, from the self‐healing mechanisms, material chemistry, and strategies for multiple properties improvement of hydrogel materials, to the design, fabrication, and applications of various hydrogel‐based bioelectronics, including wearable physical and biochemical sensors, supercapacitors, flexible display devices, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), implantable bioelectronics, etc. Furthermore, the persisting challenges hampering the development of self‐healing hydrogel bioelectronics and their prospects are proposed. This review is expected to expedite the research and applications of self‐healing hydrogels for various self‐healing bioelectronics.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved