Supramolecular Ionic Gels with High Elasticity and Self-Healing Based on Polymeric Deep Eutectic Solvent for 3D-Printable Soft Sensors
Jun Hu, Xin Yao, Tianqiang Li, Xiaojie Li, Wei Wei, Jingcheng Liu
Abstract
Fabrication and design of flexible electronic devices play important roles in improving the performance of human–machine information interaction in the era of rapid development of electronic information technology. Nonetheless, traditional manufacturing strategies located in an inferior position in controlling the geometry and space structure of many soft electronic devices weaken their performance as well as applications. In this work, 3D-printed conductive ionic gels (PCIgs) composed of polymeric deep eutectic solvent with environment-friendly, low-toxicity, and low-cost photoinitiator ((2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)bis( p -tolyl)phosphine oxide (TMO)) were prepared. The dynamic noncovalent bonds ensure smooth movement of ions signal for strain signals monitoring as a sensor. The PCIgs have good stretchability (≈800%), satisfactory electrical self-healing efficiency (≈93%), and promising conductivity (5.5 mS m –1 ). Notably, PCIgs were capable of detecting a variety of mechanical signals without assembling with other elastic materials. Meanwhile, the sensors deliver splendid signal responses with various structures. This work shows that the prepared PCIg presents promising application potential in the fields of electronic skin, deformation detection, and human–machine interface.