Stretchable, self-healable, and reprocessable chemical cross-linked ionogels electrolytes based on gelatin for flexible supercapacitors

A novel chemical cross-linked ionogels with excellent self-healability, stretchability, and reprocessability based on gelatin have been synthesized via the Schiff base reaction in ionic liquid of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIMAc). Rheological measurements revealed that the plateaus modulus in storage modulus increases with increase in the content of gelatin. These ionogels displayed good thermal mechanical stability, and the chemical networks were not destroyed even at temperature up to 140 °C. High stretchability was obtained and the elongation at break for the as-prepared ionogel could even reach 368.6%. Importantly, the prepared ionogels showed excellent self-healability and reprocessability. Remarkably, the ionogels exhibited superior ionic conductivity and room temperature ionic conductivity was higher than 1.0 × 10−3 S/cm. Furthermore, supercapacitors with this ionogel electrolyte showed temperature-dependent specific capacitance and remarkable flexible performance. Therefore, the as-prepared self-healable and reprocessable ionogels from the nature of gelatin, with highly ionic conductivity and stretchability, could be considered an excellent electrolyte candidate for various next-generation stretchable electronics.