Stretchable, self-healable integrated conductor based on mechanical reinforced graphene/polyurethane composites

Han Gao; Jianan Xu; Shen Liu; Zhongqian Song; Min Zhou; Shiwei Liu; Fei Li; Fenghua Li; Xiaodan Wang; Zhenxin Wang; Qixian Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2021.04.005

Stretchable, self-healable integrated conductor based on mechanical reinforced graphene/polyurethane composites

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 Sep:597:393-400. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.04.005. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Authors

Han Gao¹, Jianan Xu², Shen Liu¹, Zhongqian Song³, Min Zhou¹, Shiwei Liu³, Fei Li³, Fenghua Li³, Xiaodan Wang³, Zhenxin Wang¹, Qixian Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China.
² State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, PR China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, PR China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200436, PR China. Electronic address: qxzhang@ciac.ac.cn.

PMID: 33892422
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.04.005

Abstract

Stretchable conductors are susceptible to wear through repeated deformation over time. Stretchable conductors with self-healing properties can increase longevity and reduce safety hazards. However, most current self-healing conductors can only repair either the conductive layer or the insulating layer. Meantime, high mechanical robustness and self-healing efficiency are exclusive especially at ambient conditions. Realizing a stretchable conductor with integral self-healing and ultra-high mechanical strength is challenging, because this requires good interfacial compatibility and adaptability of the conductive and insulating layers. We adapt a biphasic dynamic network strategy to add toughness to self-healing materials. The DOU (dimethylglyoxime-urethane polyurethane) dynamic bonds and hydrogen bonds in the soft phase enable high self-healing efficiency, while the graphene as a hard phase supports the material's superior mechanical properties. We have prepared an overall self-healing stretchable conductor through the soft phase as a self-encapsulating insulating layer. This all-solid (Tg = -49.5 °C) graphene/dimethylglyoxime-urethane polyurethane (Gr/DOU-PU) composites characteristic of both high mechanical strength (~6 MPa, ~1000%, ~48 MJ m^-3), self-healing conductivity (~90%, 10 min, 25 °C) and conductivity (R□=47.8 Ω □^-1, d = 0.4 mm). The conductor has excellent stability for flexible electronics and for building stress sensors.

Keywords: All-solid; Mechanical reinforced; Room temperature; Self-healing; Stretchable conductor.