Slide-Ring Material/Highly Dispersed Graphene Oxide Composite with Mechanical Strength and Tunable Electrical Conduction as a Stretchable-Base Substrate.

The development of stretchable elastomer composites with considerable mechanical strength and electrical conductivity is desired for future applications in communication tools, healthcare, and robotics. Herein, we have developed a novel stretchable elastomer composite by employing a slide-ring (SR) material as a matrix for restoration and graphene oxide (GO) as a precursor for a conductive filler. Highly dispersed GO in an organic solvent, prepared via a new method developed by the authors, allowed the uniform dispersion of GO into the matrix by simply mixing the solvent and SR. The resultant SR/GO composite exhibited considerably high mechanical toughness and cyclic durability. These properties were approximately maintained after pulse laser irradiation to add electrical conductivity on the composite by photoreducing of the dispersed GO, and its electrical conductivity was higher than that of the SR/graphene, carbon nanotubes, or graphite composites. The potential of the SR/GO composite as a stretchable base substrate for wearable devices was demonstrated by producing a prototype humidity sensor, a human motion monitoring sensor, and an electrical heater based on the composite with conductive circuits drawn using pulse laser patterning.