An elastic molecular-hierarchical topology-heat field synergy for robust, multifunctional and integrated bioinspired nanofibrous helix

Abstract

To meet the urgent demands of next-generation wearable electronics and intelligent healthcare, it is crucial to develop fibrous materials that simultaneously exhibit excellent mechanical, environmental stability, and multifunctional integration. Herein, beyond simply biomimetic structure, we propose a cross-scale synergistic manufacturing strategy based on a “molecule–topology–field” framework. Elastic polyurethane serves as the molecular building block, a bioinspired hierarchical nanofibrous helix is constructed as the mechanical topology, and a programmable thermal field is introduced as a dynamic “welding” tool to in situ generate physical crosslinking points at interfaces. The resulting multifunctional integrated nanofibrous helix exhibit a synergistic mechanical enhancement, together with a rapid elastic recovery rate. Benefiting from thermal-field-induced surface reconstruction of composite hierarchical nanofibrous helix, the material further achieves superhydrophobicity. Based on these advantages, we successfully demonstrate its applications in self-cleaning surfaces, highly conformable and biocompatible medical caps, stable outdoor antennas, and stretchable electronic interconnects. This work not only provides a general strategy for the design of high-performance multifunctional fibers, but also bridges the gap from materials innovation to device integration, highlighting its significant potential in the fields of flexible electronics and intelligent healthcare.

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Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
26 Jan 2026
Accepted
23 Feb 2026
First published
25 Feb 2026

Mater. Horiz., 2026, Accepted Manuscript

An elastic molecular-hierarchical topology-heat field synergy for robust, multifunctional and integrated bioinspired nanofibrous helix

G. Zhang, Z. Guo, M. Chen, J. Xiong, Y. Zhao and F. Guo, Mater. Horiz., 2026, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D6MH00144K

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