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Transparent hydrogels have found increasing applications in wearable electronics, printable devices, and tissue engineering. Integrating desired properties, such as conductivity, mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and sensitivity, in one hydrogel remains challenging. To address these challenges, multifunctional hydrogels of methacrylate chitosan, spherical nanocellulose, and β-glucan with distinct physicochemical characteristics were combined to develop multifunctional composite hydrogels. The nanocellulose facilitated the self-assembly of the hydrogel. The hydrogels exhibited good printability and adhesiveness. Compared with the pure methacrylated chitosan hydrogel, the composite hydrogels exhibited improved viscoelasticity, shape memory, and conductivity. The biocompatibility of the composite hydrogels was monitored using human bone marrow-derived stem cells. Their motion-sensing potential was analyzed on different parts of the human body. The composite hydrogels also possessed temperature-responsiveness and moisture-sensing abilities. These results suggest that the developed composite hydrogels demonstrate excellent potential to fabricate 3D-printable devices for sensing and moist electric generator applications. [Display omitted] • 3D printable and transparent chitosan/nanocellulose hydrogels were synthesized. • Nanocellulose facilitated the self-assembly in the hydrogels. • The hydrogels showed enhanced viscoelasticity, shape memory, and adhesiveness. • Temperature-responsiveness and real-time motion sensing ability were demonstrated. • The hydrogels exhibited moist electric generation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chitosan derivatives were prepared based on homogeneous reaction system. • Temperature-driven phase transition between dissolution and nanohydrogel states. • Phase change process could be repeated more than 50 cycles (one cycle/day). • The nanohydrogels solution exhibited superior UV blocking. • Intelligent optical regulation of HBC could be applied in smart window. Chitosan (CS) based self-assembled nanohydrogels are considered as promising platform for biomedicine, petrochemical, agricultural and food applications due to their unique biodegradability, nano-interface effect, and intelligent responsiveness. However, the most CS derivatives are prepared in heterogeneous system, which is unstable and environmentally unfriendly. In this work, a series of hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) was synthesized based on a green and homogeneous system (potassium hydroxide (KOH)/urea), which given this derivative interesting temperature responsive phase transformation behavior. HBC could change from dissolved state into nanohydrogel state in deionized water, when the temperature exceed its critical phase change temperature, and this process could be repeated more than 50 cycles (one cycle/day) without coagulation. The nanohydrogels solution exhibited concentration and temperature-dependent ultraviolet absorption and visible light regulation, which had great application potential in smart windows. This study provided a novel preparation method and extended the application of chitosan-based temperature responsive self-assembled nanohydrogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]