Phase‐Segregated Ductile Eutectogels with Ultrahigh Modulus and Toughness for Antidamaging Fabric Perception

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 20; no. 20; pp. e2306557 - n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Dengfeng, Li, Xiujuan, Li, Junyue, Wang, Qiye, Dong, Xuemei, Wu, Yueyue, Li, Zifan, Xie, Xinyi, Liu, Zhengdong, Xiu, Fei, Huang, Wei, Liu, Juqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Acrylic acid; antidamaging; Choline; Ductile fracture; Electronics; Energy absorption; eutectogel; fabric perception; Human motion; Hydrogen bonding; Modulus of elasticity; Motion perception; Photopolymerization; Robotics; toughness; ultrahigh modulus; Wearable technology; antidamaging; toughness; eutectogel; fabric perception; ultrahigh modulus
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202306557

Ionogels are extremely soft ionic materials that can undergo large deformation while maintaining their structural and functional integrity. Ductile ionogels can absorb energy and resist fracture under external load, making them an ideal candidate for wearable electronics, soft robotics, and protective gear. However, developing high‐modulus ionogels with extreme toughness remains challenging. Here, a facile one‐step photopolymerization approach to construct an acrylic acid (AA)‐2‐hydroxyethylacrylate (HEA)‐choline chloride (ChCl) eutectogel (AHCE) with ultrahigh modulus and toughness is reported. With rich hydrogen bonding crosslinks and phase segregation, this gel has a 99.1 MPa Young's modulus and a 70.6 MJ m−3 toughness along with 511.4% elongation, which can lift 12 000 times its weight. These features provide extreme damage resistance and electrical healing ability, offering it a protective and strain‐sensitive coating to innovate anticutting fabric with motion detection for human healthcare. The work provides an effective strategy to construct robust ionogel materials and smart wearable electronics for intelligent life. A ductile AA‐HEA‐ChCl eutectogel (AHCE) with ultrahigh modulus and toughness is constructed through phase segregation and hydrogen‐bonding crosslink synergy, exhibiting outstanding Young's modulus, fracture toughness, stretchable elastic, and electrical healability. The AHCE‐coated fabric possesses extremely antidamaging and motion perception capabilities for human healthcare monitoring.