Degradable\nSupramolecular Eutectogel-Based Ionic Skin\nwith Antibacterial, Adhesive, and Self-Healable Capabilities

Abstract

The\ndevelopment of degradable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly\nionic conductive gels is highly required to reduce electronic waste\noriginating from flexible electronic devices. However, biocompatible,\ndegradable, tough, and durable conductive gels are challenging to\nachieve. Herein, we develop a facile strategy for the design and synthesis\nof degradable tough eutectogels by integrating an electrostatically\ndriven supramolecular network composed of branched polyacrylic acid\n(PAA) and monoethanolamine (MEA) into a green deep eutectic solvent\nwith chitosan quaternary ammonium salt (CQS). The specially designed\nPAA/MEA/CQS eutectogels present multiple desired properties, including\nhigh transparency, widely adjustable mechanical properties, high resilience,\nreliable adhesiveness, excellent self-healing ability, good conductivity,\nremarkable anti-freezing performance, and antibacterial properties.\nThe dynamic and reversible supramolecular interactions not only significantly\nenhance the mechanical properties of the PAA/MEA/CQS eutectogels but\nalso enable fast degradation, addressing the dilemma between mechanical\nstrength and degradability. More importantly, a biocompatible and\ndegradable multifunctional ionic skin is successfully fabricated based\non the PAA/MEA/CQS eutectogel, exhibiting high sensitivity, a wide\nsensing range, and a rapid response speed toward strain, pressure,\nand temperature. Thus, this study offers a promising strategy for\nfabricating degradable tough eutectogels, which show great potential\nas high-performance ionic skins for next-generation flexible wearable\nelectronic devices.