Highly Stretchable, Self-Healable Elastomers from Hydrogen-Bonded Interpolymer Complex (HIPC) and Their Use as...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Growing demand for stretchable strain sensors capable of quantifying large deformations in diverse applications.
• Need for materials that combine high extensibility, self-healing properties, and reliable sensing capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct elastomeric, healable hydrogen-bonded interpolymer complex (HIPC) films.
• To fabricate stretchable and healable conductor films for strain sensing applications.
• To evaluate the performance of HIPC-based sensors in terms of sensitivity, stability, and self-healing.

Main Methods:

• Complexation of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (F108) to form HIPC elastomers.
• Fabrication of conductor films using silver nanowire printing (Ag-p) and single-walled carbon nanotube blending (SW-b).
• Characterization of mechanical properties, extensibility, self-healing efficiency, and strain sensing performance.

Main Results:

• HIPC elastomers demonstrated high extensibility (up to 1400%) and self-healing properties, with recovery accelerated by water.
• Water-assisted healing achieved stress and strain efficiencies as high as 99% for PAA/F108 blends.
• Ag-p conductor films exhibited ultrasensitive strain sensing, while SW-b films showed ultrastable and reversible sensing over 200 cycles within a 500% strain range.

Conclusions:

• A novel and flexible HIPC strategy was developed for fabricating stretchable, self-healing electrode materials.
• The study provides a pathway for creating advanced strain sensors with tailored sensitivity and stability.
• The developed materials hold promise for applications requiring robust and adaptable mechanical sensing.