Super tough and high adhesive eutectic ionogels enabled by high-density hydrogen bond network

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Flexible Electronics

Background:

• Ionogels are promising for flexible electronics due to deformability, conductivity, and stability.
• Existing ionogels lack sufficient strength and toughness, hindering practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a strategy for fabricating ionogels with enhanced toughness and strength.
• To explore the potential of these ionogels in high-performance flexible electronic applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of ionogels by constructing high-density hydrogen bonds within the microstructure.
• Mechanical characterization including fracture strength, strain, and energy measurements.
• Assembly of strain sensors using the developed ionogels for performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• Achieved ionogels with a maximum fracture strength of 11.44 MPa and a fracture strain of 506%.
• Demonstrated significant fracture energy of 27.29 MJ m^-3.
• Showcased tunable mechanical properties (fracture stress: 0.3–11.44 MPa; fracture strain: 506%–1050%).
• Strain sensors exhibited exceptional performance, enabling human joint motion detection.

Conclusions:

• The high-density hydrogen bond strategy effectively enhances ionogel strength and toughness.
• These robust ionogels are suitable for high-performance flexible electronic applications.
• Provides a novel approach for designing strong and tough ionogels.