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An Ultra-Thin Stretchable Electrode Based on High-Resilient Polyurethane Crosslinked with La3+-Complexes
Qi-Sheng Huang1, Ruohan Yang1, Zhi-Dong Yang1
1State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of High-Performance Polymer Material and Technology, MOE, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
A new elastomer using lanthanum (III) complexes offers superior resilience and fatigue resistance for stretchable electronics. This material enables durable, high-performance electronic skins for advanced healthcare and robotics applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Stretchable electronic skins are crucial for smart healthcare, wearable electronics, and robotics.
- Common thermoplastic elastomers suffer from hysteresis and fatigue, limiting their durability.
- Developing robust elastomers is key to advancing stretchable electronic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a highly resilient and fatigue-resistant elastomer for stretchable electronics.
- To investigate the use of lanthanum (III) complexes as crosslinkers for enhanced material properties.
- To fabricate and test flexible electrodes for physiological signal monitoring.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized a novel elastomer using lanthanum (III) complexes as crosslinkers.
- Characterized the elastomer's mechanical strength, resilience, and fatigue resistance.
- Fabricated ultra-thin flexible electrodes from the developed elastomer for physiological monitoring.
Main Results:
- The new elastomer exhibits exceptional mechanical strength (Young's modulus ≈3.47 MPa, maximum stress ≈16.52 MPa).
- Demonstrated high resilience (residual strain ≈8% at 100% strain) and fatigue resistance (≈90% strength retention after 2000 cycles).
- Stable thermomechanical properties were observed, with low creep and residual strain at elevated temperatures.
- Fabricated electrodes enabled stable, long-term monitoring of human physiological signals.
Conclusions:
- Lanthanum (III) complex crosslinking creates a woven structure that significantly enhances elastomer performance.
- The developed elastomer offers a promising solution for durable and high-performance stretchable electronic skins.
- This material advancement supports applications in wearable health monitoring and human-machine interfaces.
