A Shape-Adaptive, Performance-Programmable, Self-Healable and On-Demand Destructible Robotic Skin via...

The ability of robotic devices to adapt like living organisms to their environment is fundamental to achieving physical intelligence. Robotic skin that modulates its morphology, function, and lifetime in situ can approach the intelligent tactile senses in organisms. Despite the recent advances in each of these adaptive functions, robotic skin that is adaptive in all these aspects remains elusive. In this work, an omni-adaptive capacitive pressure sensor based on dynamic silicone materials is presented, which can undergo distinct inter- and intra-chain bond exchange pathways. Utilizing a superbase phosphazene catalyst, silanolate species are generated that can attack siloxane bonds within the same chain (intra-chain) and between different chains (inter-chain), which enables self-healable and shape reconfigurable performance. Notably, intra-chain exchanges lead to the formation of volatile cyclic siloxanes that can escape from the network, allowing for controlled programmability of the polymer network and corresponding mechanical properties. Furthermore, by shifting the reaction equilibrium toward more cyclic siloxanes generation, this demonstrates on-demand material degradation. Leveraging this dynamic framework, the omni-adaptive robotic skin exhibits shape-adaptation, performance-programmability, self-healing, and on-demand destruction, which promises a wide range of applications from wearable devices, haptic feedback for MIS practice to self-healing and on-demand destructible robotic skin.