Ionogels with ultrafast electroresponsive adhesion switching based on physical gel-sol transition of silk fibroin

Ionogels with dynamically tunable interfacial adhesion hold great promise for diverse applications due to their reversible switching between robust bonding and facile detachment. However, existing electroresponsive adhesion-switchable ionogels face critical limitations including high operating voltages (>1 kV), sluggish response kinetics, and poor controllability. Inspired by the ultrafast gel-sol transition of snail mucus, we develop a physical phase transition strategy for ultrafast electrically triggered adhesion switching. This design harnesses the intrinsic electric field-induced gel-sol transition of silk fibroin (SF), which is integrated into a mechanically robust ionogel matrix. Under a low operating voltage of 36 V, a thin SF-derived sol layer forms at the cathode-ionogel contact interface section, enabling ultrafast switching from high adhesion (∼220 kPa) to near-zero adhesion within only 0.28 s, achieving 100% detaching efficiency and outperforming previously reported electroresponsive adhesion-switchable ionogels. We further demonstrate the practical applications in intelligent electrically controllable robotic arms for rapid catch-and-release operations and overvoltage protection switches for low-power electronics. This strategy addresses the long-standing challenges of high voltage and slow response in conventional electroresponsive gels, establishing a versatile platform for SF-based electroactive materials in soft electromechanical systems.