A Dynamic Gel with Reversible and Tunable Topological Networks and Performances

Design of polymeric networks with unique structural motifs can permit dynamic features, yet most existing material systems exhibit limited operational states or irreversible responsiveness. Here, we use a hydrogen-bond topological network as the design principle to construct an ionic gel material based on cellulose, ionic liquid, and H2O (designated as Cel-IL dynamic gel). The prepared Cel-IL dynamic gels exhibit tunable properties of mechanical strength, ionic conductivity, viscoelasticity, and self-healing. With limited H2O, the Cel-IL dynamic gel exhibits a bramble-like Turing-pattern microstructure with excellent adhesion, rapid self-healing, and moderate ionic conductivity features. By increasing the H2O content to 32 wt %, the microstructure switched to a dense and compact Turing pattern network, giving the gel good stretchability, robust toughness, and a high ionic conductivity. With this material, we demonstrate a flexible, transparent, designable, and biocompatible ion sensor device, which exhibits great potential for use in electronic skins and intelligent devices.