Self-Healing and Environmentally Stable Supramolecular Liquid Crystalline Gels for Mechanochromic Optics and Tactile Sensing.

Abstract

Mechanochromic materials hold great promise for applications in anti-counterfeiting, information encryption, and intelligent sensing. However, existing materials face long-term challenges in achieving a wide color-changing range, a robust dynamic network, and environmental adaptability. Herein, we constructed a 3D dynamic cross-linked network through the synergistic effect of dipole-π and π-π interactions between liquid crystal molecules and acrylate copolymers. The resulting supramolecular liquid crystalline gel (SLCG) exhibited a wide range of interference color changes and excellent mechanical properties through the dissociation of supramolecular interactions. Meanwhile, the well-designed dynamic network endowed the SLCG with self-recovery, recycling, and self-healing abilities. The SLCG can also effectively shield against adverse environmental effects, enabling stable mechanochromic performance across a broad temperature range and underwater. Subsequently, the SLCG can serve as an intelligent platform for applications in information encryption, on-demand display, and visualized tactile sensing systems. This work paves the way for the development of high-performance mechanochromic materials and their integration into next-generation intelligent applications.