Direct Metal Transfer on Swellable Hydrogel with Dehydration-Induced Physical Adhesion

Composites of hydrogels and metals are gaining interest because of each material’s unique properties. However, the stable adhesion of metals on hydrogels is challenging due to the mechanical mismatch at the soft–hard interface and the liquidity of the water components in hydrogels. We propose a facile physical-adhesion method that involves the dehydration process of hydrogels to transfer metals from a glass substrate. This method is based on the hydrophobic interaction between polymer chains and metals and is stable, even in water. Continuous metal wiring was achieved on a swollen hydrogel, and electrical conduction was effective for a soft electronic device. Therefore, our method could be a versatile method for integrating hydrogels and metals.