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Ultrastretchable and Stable Conductive Elastomer Based on Micro-Ionicgel for Wide-Working-Range Sensors.
Xiaohui Yu1, Yufei Wang1, Haopeng Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, P. R. China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|October 27, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a novel stretchable conductive elastomer using micro-ionic gels and ionic liquids (ILs). This material exhibits extreme stretchability and can be used in wearable sensors for human motion detection.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Developing stretchable conductive materials is crucial for advanced wearable electronics.
- Ionic liquids (ILs) offer unique properties for conductive composites but face challenges with leakage.
- Micro-emulsion polymerization provides a route to creating complex composite structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize novel stretchable conductive elastomers using oil-in-oil Pickering emulsion polymerization.
- To incorporate micro-ionic gels containing ILs as conductive fillers within a stretchable polymer matrix.
- To evaluate the performance of these elastomers in stretchable sensors for human motion detection.
Main Methods:
- Oil-in-oil Pickering emulsion polymerization of nonpolar and polar monomers with ILs and silica particles.
- Confocal fluorescence microscopy for observing emulsion structure.
- Fabrication of electrical impedance-based stretchable sensors using the developed elastomer.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized stretchable conductive elastomers with poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PnBA) matrix and poly(acrylic acid)-IL micro-ionicgel (PAA-ILs) as conductive fillers.
- Achieved extreme stretchability up to 12,000% strain with moisture insensitivity.
- Demonstrated effective conductivity and prevention of IL leakage during stretching.
- Developed sensors capable of detecting various human motions.
Conclusions:
- The developed elastomer offers a promising platform for highly stretchable and durable conductive materials.
- The micro-ionicgel approach effectively integrates ILs for conductivity while maintaining material integrity.
- The resulting sensors show significant potential for human-machine interfaces in flexible wearable devices.
