Sustainable, Insoluble, and Photonic Cellulose Nanocrystal Patches for Calcium Ion Sensing in Sweat

Abstract

AbstractSelf‐assembly of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) is invaluable for the development of sustainable optics and photonics. However, the functional failure of CNC‐derived materials in humid or liquid environments inevitably impairs their development in biomedicine, membrane separation, environmental monitoring, and wearable devices. Here, a facile and robust method to fabricate insoluble hydrogels in a self‐assembled CNC–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) system is reported. Due to the reconstruction of inter‐ or intra‐molecular hydrogen bond interactions, thermal dehydration makes an optimized CNC/PVA photonic film form a stable hydrogel network in an aqueous solution rather than dissolve. Notably, the resulting hydrogel exhibits superb mechanical performance (stress up to 3.3 Mpa and tough up to 0.73 MJ m−3) and reversible conversion between dry and wet states, enabling it convenient for specific functionalization. Sodium alginate (SA) can be adsorbed into the CNC photonic structure by swelling dry CNC/PVA film in a SA solution. The prepared hydrogel showcases the comprehensive properties of freezing resistance (−20°C), strong adhesion, satisfactory biocompatibility, and highly sensitive and selective Ca2+ sensing. The material could act as a portable wearable patch on the skin for the continuous analysis of calcium trends during different physical exercises, facilitating their development in precision nutrition and health monitoring.