Hydrophobic Eutectogel

Anti-swelling underwater adhesion

Constructs hydrophobic microdomains via Zn@LNP metal-phenolic complexes as dynamic sacrificial cross-linkers, achieving a balance of high toughness, anti-swelling, and underwater adhesion for reliable gel substrates in wearable underwater electronics.

Sun, Dan · Wei, He · Li, Meng · Shi, Zhengjun · Wu, Yiqiang · Sun, Shaofei · Shao, Changyou · Sun, Runcang

Nano-Micro Letters 2026

Specifications

Tensile strength

{'zh': '1.14', 'en': '1.14'} MPa

Toughness

{'zh': '3.15', 'en': '3.15'} MJ m⁻³

Underwater adhesion strength

{'zh': '1.07', 'en': '1.07'} MPa

Gauge factor

{'zh': '8.12', 'en': '8.12'}

Advantages

No swelling underwater

Hydrophobic microdomains disrupt the hydration layer and prevent water penetration, resulting in less than 1% dimensional change after 30 days underwater.

Strong underwater adhesion

Achieves 1.07 MPa underwater adhesion on glass, enabling direct attachment to target surfaces for underwater sensing.

Tough and strong

Zn@LNP serve as dynamic sacrificial cross-linkers, enhancing energy dissipation and providing 1.14 MPa tensile strength with 3.15 MJ m⁻³ toughness.

Underwater communication

The sensor has a gauge factor of 8.12 and enables underwater Morse code transmission and swimming motion tracking.

Applications

• Underwater strain sensing：Can be directly attached to skin or device surfaces to monitor underwater motion signals in real time.
• Wearable electronics：Flexible and anti-swelling, suitable for integration into wearable devices for long-term underwater monitoring.
• Anti-swelling gels：Hydrophobic microdomains prevent water penetration, ensuring dimensional stability underwater.
• Underwater adhesives：Strong adhesion to substrates like glass underwater, enabling use without additional fixation.
• Underwater health monitoring：Enables underwater Morse code transmission and swimming motion tracking for health data collection.