Design of healable, porous polyurethane with large ionic liquids loading amounts towards ultra-durable pressure sensor. (13th June 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Mingguang; Xia, Xiwen; Zhang, Liangdong; Zhao, Gang; Liu, Cheng; Li, Nan; Xu, Jian; Chen, Yousi; Jian, Xigao
• Is Part Of: European polymer journal. Volume 191(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-06-13
• Subjects: Self-healing -- Ionic liquid -- Porous structure -- Pressure sensor -- Durability; Polymers -- Periodicals; Polymerization -- Periodicals; Polymères -- Périodiques; Polymérisation -- Périodiques; Polymerization; Polymers; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 547.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2023.112018
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0014-3057

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: The PU-DBTDA5 shows excellent healing efficiency (99 %) due to the rich hydrogen bonding networks and dynamic hindered urea bond in the polymer chain. The PU-DBTDA5 has superb absorption ability to ILs. The porous structure endows the PU-DBTDA5 /IL foam with residual strain as low as 8 %. The healable PU-DBTDA5 /IL foam could be assemble the capacitance pressure sensor with superb durability. Abstract: Flexible intelligent sensors have got booming development over the past decades, yet, it is still a huge challenge to construct advanced sensors with long service life and superb durability. Herein, a novel porous capacitance pressure sensor with ultra-durability via sugar template method was prepared successfully by impregnating non-volatile, highly conductive ionic liquids (ILs) into polyurethane (PU-DBTDA5 ) matrix. As a consequence of the rich hydrogen bonding networks and dynamic hindered urea bond in the polymer chain, the as-prepared PU-DBTDA5 matrix shows excellent self-healing ability (99 %). The ionic liquid-soluble polyethylene glycol (PEG1000) serving as soft segment endows PU-DBTDA5 with ultra-absorption ability of ILs (absorbing ILs over three times to its own weight within 5 min). The pressure sensor with porous structure shows outstanding anti-fatigue ability as well as good sensitivity (S1 = 0.82 kPa −1, S2 = 1.04 kPa −1 ), and it can even monitor tiny strain as low as 0.5 %. More importantly, due to the well combination of the PU-DBTDA5 with excellent self-healing ability and the non-volatile ionic liquids, not only the healed sensor, but the sensor stored at room environment over 100 days both exhibit stable electronic signals similar to that of freshly-prepared foam sensor in 3000 uninterrupted compression tests, being strong evidence of its ultra-durability.