Mechanically robust, instant self-healing polymers towards elastic entropy driven artificial muscles

Abstract

Despite the substantial developments, it remains a huge challenge for the fabrication of soft actuators to achieve the systematic integrations of good actuating performance, high mechanical strength and self-healing ability at ambient temperature. Herein, we report the preparation of robust self-healing polymeric materials by introducing strong coordination bonds to the polymers with multiple hydrogen bonds and anisotropic chain structures. Due to the synergistic effect between the weak hydrogen and strong coordination bonds, the resultant polymer exhibits excellent mechanical strength (12.68 MPa) and instant (30 s) self-healing ability with a high healing efficiency of ca. 95 % at ambient temperature. Thanks to the entropic elasticity trapped by the anisotropic polymer chains, the resultant anisotropic polymer can be used as thermal-triggered artificial muscles with a tensile stroke of ca. 12 %. Even the healed sample can still achieve a tensile stroke of ca. 11 % repeatedly.