PVA/ChCl Deep Eutectic Polymer Blends for Transparent Strain Sensors with Antifreeze, Flexible, and Recyclable Properties

Abstract

Wearable elastic electronic devices have attracted tremendous attention due to their monitoring capabilities for human motion detection. In this work, a hydrogen bond acceptor quaternary ammonium salt, choline chloride (ChCl), has been used to fabricate deep eutectic polymer (DEP) blends with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The miscibility, molecular interaction, and physical properties of PVA/ChCl DEP blends were investigated systematically. It is demonstrated that the deep eutectic of PVA/ChCl can be obtained by simple solution blending, and the melting points of both PVA and ChCl are reduced respectively due to the strong hydrogen bond between PVA and ChCl. Due to the elasticity of the PVA/ChCl elastomer and the response of ChCl ions to temperature and humidity, the fabricated sensor showed stable and repeatable resistance changes upon strain, temperature, and humidity variations. We hypothesize that the DEP blend system has potential applications in functional composites and the final PVA/ChCl elastomer composites exhibited high transparent, antifreeze, and recyclable capability, which may be promising for applications in soft/flexible devices.

Elastomeric Protein Bioactive Eutectogels for Topical Drug Delivery

“…On the other hand, synthetic polymers have been the gold standard for eutectogels since they offer superb mechanical performance compared with biopolymers. [36,37] Natural polymers offer unique biocompatibility and biodegradability and could be more suitable for healthcare materials; therefore, biopolymerbased gels with extraordinary mechanics are the holy grail for material science. [38] Most eutectic mixtures have low volatility and favor robust supramolecular interactions; consequently, eutectogels typically feature anti-drying properties, excellent adhesiveness, conformability, and stretchability, [39,40] which are appealing with materials required for transdermal delivery.…”

“…On the other hand, synthetic polymers have been the gold standard for eutectogels since they offer superb mechanical performance compared with biopolymers. [ 36,37 ] Natural polymers offer unique biocompatibility and biodegradability and could be more suitable for healthcare materials; therefore, biopolymer‐based gels with extraordinary mechanics are the holy grail for material science. [ 38 ]…”

Competitive proton-trapping strategy enhanced anti-freezing organohydrogel fibers for high-strain-sensitivity wearable sensors

“…Stretchable strain sensors, through the transformation of external mechanical deformation into electrical signals, have attracted intensive attention in the field of wearable electronics for real-time human motion detection and health monitoring. [1][2][3] Among the developed sensors, fiber-or textile-based strain sensors show unique advantages, including the capability to detect strain in different directions, excellent air permeability, and an adaptability to irregular surfaces. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Ionic conductive hydrogels, featuring high stretchability and biocompatibility, have been developed for fabricating stretchable strain sensors in recent years.…”

Phase‐Segregated Ductile Eutectogels with Ultrahigh Modulus and Toughness for Antidamaging Fabric Perception

“…[8][9][10] For example, emerging sensors based on Gelatin-ethylene glycol/choline chloride (Gelatin-EG/ChCl) or polyacrylic acidcholine chloride DEI (PAAc-ChCl DEIs) can achieve realtime motion detection for human healthcare monitoring. [11,12] DOI: 10.1002/smll.202306557 However, in the solid-state DEIs, the shielding effect of deep eutectic solvents (DES) formed between molecular chains can restrain the bond abundance, [13][14][15] which normally leads to soft DEIs with low modulus (<1 MPa) and toughness (<1 MJ m −3 ), thus hinders their applications in protective technologies.…”