Issue 8, 2024

Thermo-growing ion clusters enabled healing strengthening and tough adhesion for highly reliable skin electronics

Abstract

Self-healing and self-adhesion capacities are essential for many modern applications such as skin-interfaced electronics for improving longevity and reliability. However, the self-healing efficiency and adhesive toughness of most synthetic polymers are limited to their original network, making reliability under dynamic deformation still challenging. Herein, inspired by the growth of living organisms, a highly stretchable supramolecular elastomer based on thermo-responsive ion clusters and a dynamic polysulfide backbone was developed. Attributed to the synergic growth of ion clusters and dynamic exchange of disulfide bonds, the elastomer exhibited unique healing strengthening (healing efficiency >200%) and thermo-enhanced tough adhesion (interfacial toughness >500 J m−2) performances. To prove its practical application in highly reliable skin electronics, we further composited the elastomer with a zwitterion to prepare a highly conductive ionic elastomer and applied it in wearable strain sensing and long-term electrophysiological detection. This work provides a new avenue to realize high reliability in skin interfaced electronics.

Graphical abstract: Thermo-growing ion clusters enabled healing strengthening and tough adhesion for highly reliable skin electronics

  • This article is part of the themed collection: #MyFirstMH

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
21 nov 2023
Accepted
31 jan 2024
First published
02 feb 2024

Mater. Horiz., 2024,11, 1923-1933

Thermo-growing ion clusters enabled healing strengthening and tough adhesion for highly reliable skin electronics

S. Chen, X. Chen, K. Luo, W. Yang, X. Yan and L. Liu, Mater. Horiz., 2024, 11, 1923 DOI: 10.1039/D3MH01975F

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