Phase-locked constructing dynamic supramolecular ionic conductive elastomers with superior toughness, autonomous self-healing and recyclability
Jing Chen, Yiyang Gao, Lei Shi, Wei Yu, Zongjie Sun, Yifan Zhou, Shuang Liu, Heng Mao, Dongyang Zhang, Tongqing Lu, Quan Chen, Demei Yu, Shujiang Ding
Abstract
Abstract Stretchable ionic conductors are considerable to be the most attractive candidate for next-generation flexible ionotronic devices. Nevertheless, high ionic conductivity, excellent mechanical properties, good self-healing capacity and recyclability are necessary but can be rarely satisfied in one material. Herein, we propose an ionic conductor design, dynamic supramolecular ionic conductive elastomers (DSICE), via phase-locked strategy, wherein locking soft phase polyether backbone conducts lithium-ion (Li + ) transport and the combination of dynamic disulfide metathesis and stronger supramolecular quadruple hydrogen bonds in the hard domains contributes to the self-healing capacity and mechanical versatility. The dual-phase design performs its own functions and the conflict among ionic conductivity, self-healing capability, and mechanical compatibility can be thus defeated. The well-designed DSICE exhibits high ionic conductivity (3.77 × 10 −3 S m −1 at 30 °C), high transparency (92.3%), superior stretchability (2615.17% elongation), strength (27.83 MPa) and toughness (164.36 MJ m −3 ), excellent self-healing capability (~99% at room temperature) and favorable recyclability. This work provides an interesting strategy for designing the advanced ionic conductors and offers promise for flexible ionotronic devices or solid-state batteries.