3D Printed Mechanical Robust, Anti-swellable Cellulose derived Liquid-free Ionic Conductive Elastomer for Multifunctional Underwater Electronic Skin

Abstract

Abstract Ionic gel-based wearable electronic devices with robust sensing performance have gained extensive attention. However, the development of mechanical robust, multifunctional, and water resistance ionic gel-based wearable sensors still is a challenge because of their intrinsic structure weakness such as swelling-induced function degradation in a water environment. Herein, we first report the preparation of 3D printed cellulose derived ionic conductive elastomers (ICEs) with high mechanical toughness, multifunctional, and water/organic solvent resistance through one-step photo-polymerization of polymerizable deep eutectic solvents. The well-defined structural design combining multiple hydrogen bonds with strong coordination bonds allows the ICE to be stabilized in aquatic environments. The introduction of polyaniline modified carboxylate cellulose nanocrystals (C-CNC@PANI) not only yields a high conductivity (58.7 mS/m) but also contributes to constructing dense networks to achieve extremely high mechanical strength (4.4 MPa), toughness (13.33 MJ*m-3), elasticity and improved anti-swelling performance. Given these features, the ICE-based multifunctional sensor is used for real-time detecting human motions, respiration, and body temperature. More importantly, the ICE-based sensor shows reliable underwater mechanosensing applications for accurately monitoring human movements in aqueous environments. This work provides a promising strategy for designing the new generation of strong, tough, multifunctional, and water-resistant wearable electronic devices that required multi-scene applications.