Self-Healable, Malleable, and Flexible Ionic Polyimine as an Environmental Sensor for Portable Exogenous Pollutant Detection

The development of a flexible sensing platform for potential detection of chemicals is of great importance for probing health parameters. However, the fabrication of portable flexible sensors for exogenous chemicals that are known to be harmful to human health and the environment is still a challenge. Herein we report a flexible electrochemical sensor for on-site and portable detection of the potential exogenous pollutant iodine. The sensor is manufactured from an ionic polyimine that is stretchable, self-healable, and recyclable. By regulation of the cation–anion structure of the ionic polymine, the sensor exhibits superior preconcentration capacity and achieves accurate monitoring of iodine with a low detection limit. On the basis of the ductility and flexibility of the sensor material, an integrated wearable sensor with the functions of on-site detection and real-time alarm was prepared using a visual program. We believe that such a flexible, repairable, and malleable sensing device leads to a promising strategy of implanting it into wearable electronics, thereby realizing real-time detection and alarm of exogenous hazardous chemicals.