Bamboo‐Basket‐Inspired Stepwise Modulated Hydrogel for Multifunctional and Extreme‐Environment Sensing

摘要

ABSTRACT Flexible sensing technology shows significant potential in expanding human perception during extreme explorations. However, traditional conductive hydrogel sensors cannot withstand harsh environments, and related modification strategies often overlook the consideration of multidimensional performance. To solve this problem, this study introduces a stepwise hydrogen‐bond modulation strategy inspired by bamboo basket weaving. Based on this strategy, we fabricated a series of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/oxidized carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (OCMC‐Na)/gelatin (Gel)‐x (PCG‐x) hydrogels, of which the PCG‐0.5 hydrogel exhibits exceptional mechanical properties (4.9 MPa at 739% strain), high conductivity (4.2 mS cm −1 ), ultra‐low glass transition temperature (−92.1 °C), and excellent biocompatibility. This strategy effectively mitigates the common trade‐offs among sensing performance, mechanical strength, and biocompatibility in conventional modification approaches. In practical tests, PCG‐0.5 facilitated Morse code communication in seawater and gesture‐based communication at an ultra‐low temperature condition of −76.6 °C, achieving 99.8% classification accuracy with a convolutional neural network (CNN). This study provides a new materials strategy for developing highly reliable flexible sensors in harsh environments, opening new avenues for applications in smart sports, specialized robotics, and advanced equipment.