A Polymerizable Eutectic\nStrategy toward Multifunctional\nIonic Conductive Elastomers for Strain Sensors

Abstract

The\npreparation of flexible electronic devices with simultaneously\ngood flexibility, conductivity, transparency, and stability by using\na green and efficient preparation process remains challenging. Here,\nwe report a class of polymerizable deep eutectic solvent (PDES) based\nionic conductive elastomer (ICE) with favorable mechanical properties,\ntransparency, conductivity, and self-healing properties, through the\ncombination of multiple hydrogen bonding and metal–ligand interactions.\nThe ICE with dual ion-conductive networks was prepared by introducing\nlithium bis(trifluoro­methane)sulfonimide (LiTFSI) into choline\nchloride/acrylic acid/itaconic acid (ChCl/AA/IA)-type PDES via UV-photoinitiated\npolymerization. The results showed that the presence of LiTFSI improved\nthe mechanical properties (7.80 MPa and 2601%) and electrical conductivity\n(2.66 × 10^–3–7.58 × 10^–3 S m^–1) of this elastomer. The presence of many\nfunctional groups in the elastomer network endowed the elastomer with\nfavorable adhesion ability toward many surfaces without external stimuli.\nIn addition, they have been used as strain sensors to monitor human\nmotions, such as finger, wrist, elbow, and knee flexion.