Study on fabricating transparent, stretchable, and self-healing ionic conductive elastomers from biomass molecules through solvent-free synthesis

Abstract

Most of the known ionic electrical components are fabricated from petroleum-based raw materials and are not recyclable or degradable. A necessary solution involving the green fabrication of ionic conductors, which requires efficiency, scalability, and environmental friendliness, should be developed. Herein, we prepared a liquid-free dynamic polymer network based on the biobased monomer thioctic acid. Through simple and efficient copolymerization, the synthetic performance of the ionic conductive elastomer was effectively adjusted. With its high transparency, good extensibility, and ideal conductivity, the synthetic elastomer was applied in a strain sensor to detect the movements of organisms. Due to its dynamic disulfide bonds and various noncovalent interactions, the synthetic ionic conductive elastomer exhibited an intrinsic self-healing ability, a desirable recyclability, and certain degradability. This research provides a new perspective and method for coordinating synthetic efficiency, multilevel structures, and overall performance of smart materials for soft electronic devices.