Zhang Limei, Li Hong, Li Zhiquan, Pan Weimin, Men Yi, Zhang Niankun, Xu Jing, Liu Xuewei
School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Xi'an Physical Education University, Xi'an 710068, China.
Engineering Research Center of Innovative Technology of Intelligent Sports Equipment, Universities of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an 710068, China.
Gels. 2025 May 17;11(5):369. doi: 10.3390/gels11050369.
As conductive materials, ionogels have attracted significant attention for their potential applications in flexible wearable electronics. However, preparing an ionogel with mechanical properties akin to human skin while also achieving transparency, adhesion, and low hysteresis through simple processes remains challenging. Here, we introduce a multifunctional ionogel synthesized via a one-step photopolymerization method. By leveraging the good compatibility between the ionic liquid and the polymer network, as well as the hydrogen bonding and chemical crosslinking within the gel network, we achieved an ionogel with high transparency (>98%), stretchability (fracture strain of 19), low hysteresis (<5.83%), strong adhesion, robust mechanical stability, excellent electrical properties, a wide operating temperature range, and a tunable modulus (1-103 kPa) that matches human skin. When used as a conductor in soft actuators, the ionogel enabled a large area strain of 36% and a fast electromechanical conversion time of less than 1 s. The actuator demonstrated good actuation performance with voltage and frequency dependence, electrochemical stability, and outstanding durability over millions of cycles. This study provides a simple and effective method to produce multifunctional ionogels with tailored mechanical properties that match those of human skin, paving the way for their application in flexible wearable electronics.
作为导电材料，离子凝胶因其在柔性可穿戴电子设备中的潜在应用而备受关注。然而，通过简单工艺制备出具有类似于人类皮肤机械性能，同时还能实现透明性、粘附性和低滞后性的离子凝胶仍然具有挑战性。在此，我们介绍一种通过一步光聚合方法合成的多功能离子凝胶。通过利用离子液体与聚合物网络之间的良好相容性，以及凝胶网络内的氢键和化学交联，我们制备出了一种具有高透明度（>98%）、可拉伸性（断裂应变达19）、低滞后性（<5.83%）、强粘附性、强大机械稳定性、优异电学性能、宽工作温度范围以及与人类皮肤相匹配的可调模量（1 - 103 kPa）的离子凝胶。当用作软致动器中的导体时，该离子凝胶能够实现36%的大面积应变以及小于1秒的快速机电转换时间。该致动器在电压和频率依赖性、电化学稳定性以及数百万次循环的出色耐久性方面展现出良好的致动性能。这项研究提供了一种简单有效的方法来制备具有与人类皮肤相匹配的定制机械性能的多功能离子凝胶，为其在柔性可穿戴电子设备中的应用铺平了道路。
