A General Chain\nLubrication Strategy for Ultra-Stretchable\nPolyacrylate Elastomers

Polyacrylate elastomers have enormous application potential\nin\nvarious fields. However, facile and universal synthetic strategies\nremain rare for ultrastretchable polyacrylates (especially those with\nextension ratios ≥50) that are adaptable to various building\nblocks. Here, we develop a novel chain lubrication strategy to reduce\nthe interchain friction and improve the slip of polymer chains during\ndeformation. By constructing polyacrylates with soft, hard, and quaternary\nammonium segments, we fabricate ultrastretchable elastomers (extension\nratios up to 323) through emulsion polymerization and film casting,\nusing quaternary ammonium surfactants (QASs) as emulsifiers. The lubricating\nmechanism of QASs is explored by varying the chemical structures of\nQASs, and it is demonstrated that QASs enhance the fluidity of polymer\nchains while forming eutectics with quaternary ammonium segments to\nconstruct physical cross-linking sites in the polymer networks. We\nalso demonstrate the successful synthesis of a variety of ultrastretchable\nelastomers by replacing soft and hard segment monomers or surfactants,\nconfirming the effectiveness and generalizability of the chain lubrication\nstrategy. The chain lubrication strategy promises to pioneer new methods\nfor fabricating highly ductile elastomers and advancing industrial\nrubbers.