Alginate fiber anchored conductive coordination frameworks for ultrastable light-gas dual sensors with synergistic effect

Abstract

Electrically conductive coordination frameworks (ECCF) firmly anchored on renewable and sustainable alginate substrates are fundamentally important yet still challenging for flexible electronics. Herein, we report an interfacial self-assembly strategy to prepare alginate-anchored ECCF for constructing flexible and ultrastable light-gas dual sensors. By combining free Cu ions with trispectral linker, well-defined ECCF with a metal catechol structure (Cu-CAT) is directly grown on alginate fabrics (AF), which perfectly solves swelling problem of the hydrated alginate and improves flexibility and toughness of the electronic platform. By precisely tuning the thickness of as-prepared Cu-CAT nanowire film, the resultant AF/Cu-CAT sensor acts as not only a stable and self-powered light sensor in wide spectral range but also a selective NH₃ sensor operating at room temperature. Remarkably, the flexible sensor demonstrates light-gas synergistic effect, facilitating the adsorption-desorption kinetic by 358 % and thus achieving ultrafast and ultrastable response. This work provides a feasible approach for manufacturing ECCF-functionalized flexible organo-substrates and pushes forward a significant step toward the electric-field modulation of flexible sensors.