Extremely Soft, Stretchable, and Self-Adhesive Silicone Conductive Elastomer Composites Enabled by a Molecular Lubricating Effect

Abstract

Softness, adhesion, stretchability, and fast recovery from large deformations are essential properties for conductive elastomers that play an important role in the development of high-performance soft electronics. However, it remains an ongoing challenge to obtain conductive elastomers that combine these properties. We have fabricated a super soft (Young’s modulus 2.3–12 kPa), highly stretchable (up to 1500% strain), and underwater adhesive silicone conductive elastomer composite (SF-C-PDMS) by incorporating dimethyl silicone oil as a lubricating agent in a cross-linked molecular network. The resultant SF-C-PDMS not only exhibits superior softness but also can readily recover after a strain of 1000%. The initial resistance only decreases by 8% after 100000 cycles of tensile fatigue test (100% strain, 0.5 Hz, 15 mm/s). This multifunctional silicone conductive elastomer composite is obtained in a one-step preparation at room temperature using commercially available materials. Moreover, we illustrate the capabilities of this composite in motion sensing.

WITHDRAWN: A Microphase-Separated Design Toward an All-Round Ionic Hydrogel with Discriminable and Anti-Disturbance Multisensory Functions

“…This indicates the elastic-dominated mechanical behavior of the ionic hydrogel 38,39 . The weak frequency dependence of both values reveals the stability of the PAS/PD-IPN hydrogel, which was attributed to the strong microphase-separated domains and highly entangled polymer networks in the hydrogels 40 .…”

A skin-friendly soft strain sensor with direct skin adhesion enabled by using a non-toxic surfactant

“…The soft nature of the film contributes to the enhancement of adhesion force by enabling conformal contact with surfaces, promoting van der Waals interactions. 9 Less crosslinking of PDMS results in lower packing density of molecular chains, which facilitates chain diffusion inside the film, thus enhancing adhesion force. 38 Although Tween 80 leads to less crosslinking, it reacts sufficiently up to the addition of 2.5 wt%, resulting in no residue after peeling off from the surface (Fig.…”

“…5 Over the past decades, extensive efforts have been made to develop dry-adhesive properties for wearable electronics through various approaches, such as micro/nano-structure design, van der Waals force enhancement, and elasticity modulation. 6–10 However, the limited mechanical softness and potential biotoxicity restrict their effective application to wearable platforms for the human body.…”

Multifunctional Conductive Elastomers Based on Tannic Acid and Polymerizable 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Chloride/Acrylic Acid Deep Eutectic Solvent

“…8−10 Nevertheless, the limited stability and finite use cannot meet current demands. 11 Ionogels based on ionic liquids (ILs) are promising ionic conductive elastomers that can effectively solve those existing problems of hydrogels. By combining the characteristics of ILs and polymer networks, ionogels not only have high ionic conductivity, nonflammability, and thermal/electrochemical stability but also possess high flexibility and mechanical properties.…”