A transparent ionogel with mechanical robustness enabled by synergistic noncovalent interactions

Abstract

Owing to their high strength and high toughness, ionically conductive elastomers have wide application prospects in artificial muscle materials, lithium-ion batteries and other fields. In this work, on the basis of a polymerizable deep eutectic solvent (DES) prepared from acrylic acid (AA) and choline chloride (ChCl) and N-(2-hydroxyethyl) acrylamide (HEAA) monomers, a high-strength and high-toughness ionic conductive elastomer P(DES–HEAA) was successfully prepared via one-step photopolymerization without the use of any chemical crosslinking agents. The elastomer not only has excellent mechanical properties (tensile strength: 15.59 MPa, tensile strain: 521%, Young's modulus: 652.3 MPa, toughness: 56.2 MJ m⁻³) but also has high transparency, satisfactory conductivity, good shape memory and excellent anticutting and wear resistance. Owing to the simple and fast preparation process (light irradiation for 10 min) and the excellent properties of the obtained elastomers, this study provides a novel and effective strategy for the development of high-strength, high-toughness, and damage-resistant ionic conductive elastomers.