Introducing functional synthetic biomaterials to the literature became quite essential in biomedical technologies. For the growth of novel biomedical engineering approaches, progressive functional properties as well as the robustness of the manufacturing processes are essential. By using acid-induced epoxide ring-opening polymerizations through catalysts, a wide variety of biodegradable and functionalized biomaterials can be synthesized. Sebacic acid (SA) and poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) are amongst the FDA-approved biocompatible materials. In this study, we focused on the rapid synthesis of caffeine-catalyzed self-healable elastomer via a facile microwave-assisted synthesis route. The elastomer prepared can be used in various applications, including tactile sensors, wearable electronics, and soft robotics. SA and PEGDGE were catalyzed in the presence of caffeine under microwave irradiation followed by crosslinking in vacuo, yielding an elastomeric material. The chemical characterizations of the obtained elastomer were carried out. The resulting material is transparent, highly stretchable, and has capacitive and self-healing properties even at room temperature. The material developed can be easily applied for the aforementioned applications.
Keywords: artificial skin; capacitive sensor; microwave synthesis; self-healing elastomer; soft robotics.