Tailoring high mechanical performances of self‐healable poly(vinyl alcohol)‐based elastomers via judicious grafting of side chains

Abstract Self‐healing conductive materials have become promising candidates for flexible sensor devices. However, the mechanical properties of the substrate elastomers are often poor due to the inherent performance of the materials. Here, a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)‐based self‐healing material with high strength and good thermal stability was prepared by side‐linked grafting modification of PVA with a one‐step esterification reaction. Benefiting from the hydrogen bonds and ion coordination between iron ions and carboxyl groups, the synthesized elastomer exhibited excellent mechanical properties (tensile strength of 38.6 MPa, fracture elongation of 1565.0%) and good self‐healing performance (self‐healing efficiency of 53.4% at room temperature). In addition, the high sensitivity and self‐healing performance of a silver nanowire‐coated elastomer strain sensor demonstrated the wide potential applicability of the prepared PVA‐based elastomers in health care, electrocardiography and safety monitoring. © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry.