High‐Strength, Minutes‐Timescale Self‐Healable, Recyclable Thermoplastic Ion‐Elastomers Enabled by Chain‐Motion‐Unrestricted Hyperbranched Domains

Abstract High‐performance ion‐conductive elastomers are fundamentally constrained by a critical design trade‐off: intensive crosslinking enhances mechanical robustness but hinders segmental chain dynamics that are essential for reversible characteristics such as self‐healing and recyclability. Herein, a dual‐domain ion‐elastomer that integrates densely crosslinked domains for high mechanical strength with highly mobile hyperbranched domains for dynamic characteristics is synthesized through the ring‐opening polymerization of thioctic acid‐grafted hyperbranched polyethyleneimine, followed by controlled swelling in ion‐conducting deep eutectic solvents. The resulting ion‐elastomer demonstrates multimodal relaxation dynamics. The densely crosslinked domains offer high strength (≈1.15 MPa), exceptional stretchability (>2000%), and high toughness (≈16.6 MJ m −3 ), while the mobile hyperbranched domains enable minutes‐timescale self‐healing and solvent‐free thermoplastic recyclability. The integration of mechanical robustness, environmental durability, and reprocessability enables the ion‐elastomers to be processed into skin‐inspired, shape‐adaptive sensors via extrusion‐based 3D printing, which demonstrate remarkable sensitivity, ultralow detection limit, and high durability. This study presents an innovative molecular design strategy for creating mechanically resilient, self‐healing, and recyclable ion‐elastomers, advancing potentials for sustainable wearable and printable soft electronics.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2025-11-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202526288
Primary Topic
Polymer composites and self-healing
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

High‐Strength, Minutes‐Timescale Self‐Healable, Recyclable Thermoplastic Ion‐Elastomers Enabled by Chain‐Motion‐Unrestricted Hyperbranched Domains

Yue‐E Miao, Tianxi X. Liu, Minfeng Zeng, Norbert Willenbacher et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Polymer composites and self-healing
article

High‐Strength, Minutes‐Timescale Self‐Healable, Recyclable Thermoplastic Ion‐Elastomers Enabled by Chain‐Motion‐Unrestricted Hyperbranched Domains

Yue‐E Miao, Tianxi X. Liu, Minfeng Zeng, Norbert Willenbacher, Mengmeng Yuan, Yufeng Wang, Ying Liu, Chao Zhang, Dongmei Lei
article en

Abstract

Abstract High‐performance ion‐conductive elastomers are fundamentally constrained by a critical design trade‐off: intensive crosslinking enhances mechanical robustness but hinders segmental chain dynamics that are essential for reversible characteristics such as self‐healing and recyclability. Herein, a dual‐domain ion‐elastomer that integrates densely crosslinked domains for high mechanical strength with highly mobile hyperbranched domains for dynamic characteristics is synthesized through the ring‐opening polymerization of thioctic acid‐grafted hyperbranched polyethyleneimine, followed by controlled swelling in ion‐conducting deep eutectic solvents. The resulting ion‐elastomer demonstrates multimodal relaxation dynamics. The densely crosslinked domains offer high strength (≈1.15 MPa), exceptional stretchability (>2000%), and high toughness (≈16.6 MJ m −3 ), while the mobile hyperbranched domains enable minutes‐timescale self‐healing and solvent‐free thermoplastic recyclability. The integration of mechanical robustness, environmental durability, and reprocessability enables the ion‐elastomers to be processed into skin‐inspired, shape‐adaptive sensors via extrusion‐based 3D printing, which demonstrate remarkable sensitivity, ultralow detection limit, and high durability. This study presents an innovative molecular design strategy for creating mechanically resilient, self‐healing, and recyclable ion‐elastomers, advancing potentials for sustainable wearable and printable soft electronics.

Advanced Functional Materials
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE), Jiangnan University (CN), City University of Hong Kong (HK), Donghua University (CN), Shaoxing University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 69%
Polymer composites and self-healing
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.