受关节软骨启发的耐疲劳和耐苛刻环境的三维超弹 海绵导体

Abstract

Spongy conductors generally suffer from mechanical brittleness and irreversible conductive network damage when subjected to extreme compression and harsh environments. The development of elastic conductors combining the unique characteristics of light weight, super-elasticity, and extraordinary fatigue resistance is massively desired but challenging. Herein, a surface-constrained atomized water templating strategy is presented for fabricating a honeycomb-patterned spongy carbon nanotube conductor (h-SCNTC). By mimicking articular cartilage architecture with gradient energy dissipation under deformation, the resultant h-SCNTC exhibits outstanding compressibility with rapid recovery from deformation (i.e., 0% to 90% compressive strain) and extraordinarily high fatigue resistance (i.e., >95% height retention after 5000 cycles). The developed sensor possesses remarkable features, including superelasticity, durability, and large relative resistance changes across a wide strain range (i.e., 0% to 90%), which can be ascribed to the combination of “connect-disconnect” transition of nanogaps between individual carbon nanotubes in the skeleton under a low compressive strain and compressive contact of the conductive skeletons under a high compressive strain. In particular, the conductor can effectively inhibit water erosion, making it ultradurable against harsh environments in extreme humidity and machine washing conditions. The surface-constrained atomized water templating strategy for fabricating spongy superelastic conductors opens a new avenue to explore the potential of wearable sensors and deformation-tolerant electronics.