A self-healing and antibacterial electronic skin based on a natural small molecule

Abstract

The revolution of electronic technology has inspired research into multifunctional electronic devices which could integrate self-healing, conductivity, and antibacterial properties in order to achieve a long-term and safe service process. Herein, a self-healing and antibacterial electronic skin (TA-β-[VAIM]Br) was fabricated using thioctic acid (TA), β-pinene, and 1-allyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide ([VAIM]Br). TA-β-[VAIM]Br displayed moderate mechanical properties, achieving a stress of 70 kPa and 500% strain. The cyclic mechanical property also performed well under either 50% strain or 100% strain, where large overlaps could be observed between the cycle curves. TA-β-[VAIM]Br could reconstruct its network at room temperature with a self-healing efficiency of 80% in 9 h due to the inherent dynamic disulfide bond. Moreover, TA-β-[VAIM]Br exhibited favorable antibacterial properties towards Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with killing efficiency of 92% and 97%, respectively. TA-β-[VAIM]Br also showed comforting sensitivity in detecting small deformation and large deformation, with a gauge factor of 1.15 and 2.18, respectively. Based on these characteristics, TA-β-[VAIM]Br could achieve a stable real-time monitoring of human movement, where sensitivity would not be disrupted by the reconstruction of the network. This kind of self-healing electronic skin based on a natural small molecule has great potential in the fields of interpersonal interaction and health monitoring.