Microfluidic Fabrication of Conductive Hydrogel Optical Fibers with Controlled Swelling for Enhanced Performance
발표자
싱 아르티 (부산대학교)
연구책임자
윤진환 (서울시립대학교)
초록
내용
Hydrogel fibers combining optical transmission and ionic conductivity are crucial for bioelectronics, neural interfaces, and soft robotics. Here, we demonstrate conductive hydrogel optical fibers fabricated via continuous microfluidic coaxial extrusion with precise control over swelling ratio to optimize performance. The core-cladding architecture maintains high light transmission efficiency while achieving ionic conductivity of 26.6 S/cm after NaCl treatment. By controlling the crosslinking density and hydrogel composition, we tune the swelling ratio of the core and cladding to optimize the refractive index contrast, directly correlating with optical and electrical properties. The fibers retain stable light guiding under deformed stated and repeated bending cycles.