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Skin-like mechanoresponsive self-healing ionic elastomer from supramolecular zwitterionic network
Wei Zhang1, Baohu Wu2, Shengtong Sun3
1State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and Center for Advanced Low-dimension Materials, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.
Nature Communications
|July 3, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a new proton-conductive ionic skin that mimics natural skin's feel. This advanced material offers self-healing, elasticity, and strain-stiffening for better electronic applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Stretchable ionic skins aim to replicate natural skin sensations for advanced electronics.
- Key challenges include achieving simultaneous elastic recovery, self-healing, and strain-stiffening properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design a robust proton-conductive ionic skin with combined desirable properties.
- To overcome the limitations of existing materials in elasticity, self-healing, and strain-stiffening.
Main Methods:
- Introduction of an entropy-driven supramolecular zwitterionic reorganizable network.
- Integration with a hydrogen-bonded polycarboxylic acid network to create dual dynamic networks.
- Fabrication of a representative polyacrylic acid/betaine elastomer.
Main Results:
- The elastomer exhibits 1600% stretchability and 24-fold modulus enhancement (strain-stiffening).
- Achieved ~100% self-healing, 97.9% elastic recovery, high transparency (99.7%), and anti-freezing properties (-40°C).
- Demonstrated moisture-preserving, water reprocessibility, and easy-to-peel adhesion.
Conclusions:
- The developed ionic elastomer successfully integrates elasticity, self-healing, and strain-stiffening.
- This material shows significant promise for wearable iontronic sensors in human-machine interfacing.
