Bioinspired conductive polyurethane with multifunctional sensing capabilities for human activity and gesture detection

The demand for multifunctional, sustainable, and high-performance flexible electronic sensing materials has driven the development of polyurethane-based materials with enhanced mechanical, self-healing, antimicrobial, and biocompatible properties. In this study, a novel polyurethane (PU) was synthesized by incorporating carboxyl groups, zinc ions, and ionic liquids (ILs) to simulate natural ion transport mechanisms, thereby enhancing ion mobility and electron transfer. The resulting material, Polyurethane-DMPA-ADH(PU-D_0.5A_0.5), exhibited excellent mechanical properties, including high tensile strength (9.06 MPa), elongation at break (1791 %), and toughness (101.03 MJ/m²). It also demonstrated outstanding fatigue resistance, achieving stress residual ratio of 95.64 % and dissipation efficiency of 9.87 % after 10 tensile cycles at 100 % strain. The material showed exceptional self-healing efficiency (98.94 % within 60 min), tear resistance, and puncture resistance, as well as excellent recyclability (95 %) and biodegradability (61.65 % after 8 weeks). Furthermore, PU-D_0.5A_0.5 exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, with an antimicrobial rate exceeding 92 %. Its biocompatibility, confirmed by CCK-8 assays and live/dead staining, demonstrates low cytotoxicity. These findings highlight that PU-D_0.5A_0.5 was an ideal candidate for flexible, self-healing, and sustainable electronic sensors, with potential applications in wearable devices, healthcare, and other advanced technological fields. Furthermore, by processing PU-D_0.5A_0.5 into flexible electronic sensing nanofiber films through electrospinning, the material's sensing capabilities were demonstrated through the monitoring of motion, hand gestures, and Morse code, converting them into electrical signals. This polyurethane-based elastomer improves the performance of flexible electronic sensors and shows promise for diverse applications in various fields.