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Updated: Aug 20, 2025
Application of a Coupling Agent to Improve the Dielectric Properties of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites
Published on: September 19, 2020
A tough, healable, and recyclable conductive polyurethane/carbon nanotube composite
Fuhao Dong1, Xinxin Yang2, Lizhen Guo2
1College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-forest Biomass, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu Province, China; Institute of Chemical Industry of Forestry Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Key and Open Laboratory of Forest Chemical Engineering, State Forestry Administration, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu Province, China.
Abstract:
Recently, conductive composites have been used in flexible electronic devices and have attracted attention. The integration of self-healing, high sensitivity, large tensile strength, environmental stability, and easy recyclability into conductive composites is very desirable yet challenging. Hence, a conductive composite as a flexible strain sensor with a self-healing and recyclability is facilely developed, with a polyurethane (PU) elastomer bearing dynamic boronic ester as the polymer matrix and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a conductive filler. Due to the dynamic boronic ester bond and hydrogen bond, the prepared polyurethane conductive composite has good self-healing and mechanical properties. It not only has a high healing efficiency of 78 % but also has a tensile strength of 15.4 MPa and an elongation at break of 420 %. In addition, the prepared conductive composite has high conductivity (0.57 mS/cm) and sensitivity. As a wearable sensor, it can identify human activities in all directions, such as elbow and finger bending, speaking, and facial changes. Consequently, the polyurethane conductive composite prepared in this study exhibited wonderful application potential in wearable electronic devices such as self-healing strain sensors.
