Intelligent hydrogel on–off controller sensor for irrigation

As a functional material, hydrogels hold promise in agricultural irrigation, potentially solving the problem of low utilization of irrigation water from the source. To enable more intuitive monitoring of soil moisture and achieve on-demand irrigation, a conductive hydrogel is being explored as a solenoid valve controller for intelligent irrigation. Here, intelligent hydrogel poly (acrylic acid-co–N-methylolacrylamide)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate, P(AA-co–N-MA)/PEDOT:PSS, with a dual network was synthesized under mild conditions through Na2SO3-APS (ammonium persulfate) initiation system. The structural design endows the hydrogel with excellent mechanical properties (elongation at break up to 2400