Reversibly Cross-Linked Liquid-Free Ionic Conductive Elastomers for Closed-Loop Recyclable Temperature Sensors with Ultra-High Sensitivity

Open AccessCCS ChemistryRESEARCH ARTICLES7 Oct 2024Reversibly Cross-Linked Liquid-Free Ionic Conductive Elastomers for Closed-Loop Recyclable Temperature Sensors with Ultra-High Sensitivity Xu Fang, Nengan Tian, Xin Gao, Hao Wang, Ronghua Wang, Tianqi Li, Yixuan Li and Junqi Sun Xu Fang , Nengan Tian , Xin Gao , Hao Wang , Ronghua Wang , Tianqi Li , Yixuan Li and Junqi Sun https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404819 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail It is a great challenge to fabricate liquid-free ionic conductive elastomers that can function as flexible temperature sensors with high sensitivity, fast response time, and efficient recyclability. In this study, novel liquid-free ionic conductive elastomers are conveniently fabricated through the complexation of 4-carboxybenzaldehyde-grafted poly(vinyl alcohol) (CPVA) with well-designed solid quaternary ammonium (QA) molecules bearing bi-functional hydrogen-bonding moieties. The resulting CPVA-QA elastomers, which are highly elastic and adhesive to diverse surfaces, exhibit a tensile strength of 6.6 MPa, a toughness of 14.7 MJ m−3, and a Young's modulus of 0.15 MPa. These elastomers have a hydrogen-bonded network structure where the bi-functional QA molecules significantly suppresses polymer chain entanglements. Benefitting from the thermally sensitive hydrogen bonds and the substantially reduced chain entanglements, the CPVA-QA elastomers show a high chain mobility upon temperature elevation, which facilitates ion transport within the CPVA-QA elastomers. Consequently, the CPVA-QA elastomer-based temperature sensors show an outstanding temperature resolution (0.05 °C) and fast response time in a wide temperature range, and a record-high thermo-sensitivity of 10.8% K-1. Importantly, the CPVA-QA sensors can be depolymerized under mild conditions to recover their original components in high purity and yields (>96%), enabling closed-loop recycling of the sensors. Download figure Download PowerPoint Previous articleNext article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Issue AssignmentNot Yet AssignedSupporting Information Copyright & Permissions© 2024 Chinese Chemical Society Downloaded 0 times PDF downloadLoading ...