One-pot synthesis of photochromic and antibacterial superabsorbent P (AA-Am)/LiWO₃ hydrogels with good water preserving and conductive properties

Hydrogels with stimuli-switchable properties have gained a lot of attention over the years. However, the photoresponsiveness of antibacterial superabsorbent hydrogels (SAHs) has not been fully explored. Herein, SAHs based on polyacrylic acid (PAA) and acrylamide (Am), integrated with inorganic lithium tungsten oxide (LiWO3) nanocomposites were facilely fabricated via a one-pot synthesis route to form P(AA-Am)/LiWO3 hydrogels. The inorganic nanocomposites impacted mechanical toughness and flexibility on the SAHs which also displayed good water preserving and conductivity properties. Moreover, exposure of the hydrogels to sunlight at different time intervals showed a visual color formation from colorless to blue, with increasing intensity as the PAA concentration reduces. The redox property of the inorganic nanocomposites enabled the fast bleaching of the hydrogel after 120 min. Comparatively, the UV-light induced SAHs demonstrated promising antibacterial properties against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE); thereby showing huge prospects for optical/display devices and biomedical materials.