Autonomous self-healing and highly stretchable polymer maltose polyborosiloxane for improving soft electronics and soft robots

Abstract

The quest for autonomous, self-healing electronic skins in artificial soft robots has sparked considerable interest. However, restoring the primary structure and integrated skin sensors of these robots to their original state after damage presents significant challenges for achieving a swift and straightforward healing process. Herein, we introduce an enhanced polymer known as maltose polyborosiloxane (PM PBS), designed as an exceptional skin substrate. Engineered with unique properties, PM PBS demonstrates remarkable self-healing capabilities. Notably, it achieves a maximum strain at break exceeding 3000% and exhibits swift self-healing, fully recovering within a mere 10 s under ambient conditions and 3 min under both frozen (−20 °C) and underwater conditions. Additionally, our study highlights that the integrated PM PBS electronic adhesive can self-heal within 20 s underwater. Furthermore, we showcase the versatility of self-healing PM PBS when combined with Ecoflex (denoted as PME), successfully integrating it into piezoelectronic sensors and soft pneumatic grippers featuring in situ capacitive tactile sensing. This multifunctionality aligns with the development of composite materials possessing self-healing, stretchable, and deformable properties. Noteworthy is the rapid response to self-healing exhibited by our PME robotic grippers, enabling recovery from damage in less than 1 min. In summary, the impressive combination of stretchability, rapid self-healing, and multifunctionality inherent in PM PBS positions it as a promising candidate for a diverse range of applications in soft robots, wearable technology, and beyond.