Elastomeric Liquid-Free Conductor for Iontronic Devices

Langmuir. 2022 Oct 4;38(39):11994-12004. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01749. Epub 2022 Sep 22.

Abstract

For a long time, the potential application of gel-based ionic devices was limited by the problem of liquid leakage or evaporation. Here, we utilized amorphous, irreversible and reversible cross-linked polyTA (PTA) as a matrix and lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonamide) (LiTFSI) as an electrolyte to prepare a stretchable (495%) and self-healing (94%) solvent-free elastomeric ionic conductor. The liquid-free ionic elastomer can be used as a stable strain sensor to monitor human activities sensitively under extreme temperatures. Moreover, the prepared elastic conductor (TEOA0.10-PTA@LiTFSI) was also considered an electrode to assemble with self-designed repairable dielectric organosilicon layers (RD-PDMS) to develop a sustainable triboelectric nanogenerator (SU-TENG) with outstanding performance. SU-TENG maintained good working ability under extreme conditions (-20 °C, 60 °C, and 200% strain). This work provided a low-cost and simple idea for the development of reliable iontronic equipment for human-computer interaction, motion sensing, and sustainable energy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Elasticity
  • Elastomers*
  • Electrolytes
  • Humans
  • Ions
  • Lithium*
  • Sulfonamides

Substances

  • Elastomers
  • Electrolytes
  • Ions
  • Sulfonamides
  • Lithium