Electrothermal Dual Activities of Elastic Fiber Aerogels for Sensing Diagnosis and Thermotherapy

Neurological, musculoskeletal, and rheumatic diseases often necessitate a prolonged and comprehensive rehabilitation period, imposing a significant burden on patients. Real-time assessment of patients’ recovery status and further establishment of a rational treatment are both of paramount importance for the recovery of patients. Herein, a polysulfone (PSF)/polypyrrole (PPy) fiber aerogel (PFA) is designed by combining electrospinning and gas foaming methods to address the simultaneous diagnostic and therapeutic needs. By finely tuning the NaBH 4 concentration (0.05, 0.10, 0.15 M) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) concentration (1.5, 3.0, 4.5 wt %), nine kinds of PFAs are prepared. The results indicate that when the NaBH 4 concentration is 0.05 M and the PVA concentration is 3.0 wt %, PFA-4 shows excellent mechanical properties and suitable conductivity. In rehabilitation diagnosis, PFA-4 exhibits a good piezoresistive sensing property, enabling the assessment of resistance alterations under a strain range of 0–80%. Additionally, PFA-4 is capable of achieving a maximum gauge factor of 2.22. In the rehabilitation treatment, PFA-4 demonstrates exceptional photothermal responsiveness and stability. It can reach a thermotherapy temperature of approximately 42 °C within 60 s. Additionally, PFA-4 also shows thermal insulation properties. The integration of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment can have a better effect on shortening the recovery time of patients.