A Transparent, Self-Healing, Highly Stretchable Ionic Conductor.

Cao, Yue; Morrissey, Timothy G; Acome, Eric; Allec, Sarah I; Wong, Bryan M; Keplinger, Christoph; Wang, Chao · Adv Mater · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Self-healing materials can repair damage caused by mechanical wear, thereby extending lifetime of devices. A transparent, self-healing, highly stretchable ionic conductor is presented that autonomously heals after experiencing severe mechanical damage. The design of this self-healing polymer uses ion-dipole interactions as the dynamic motif. The unique properties of this material when used to electrically activate transparent artificial muscles are demonstrated.