Robust, self-healing AIE fluorescent supramolecular elastomers for smart anti-counterfeiting

Abstract

Providing aggregation-induced emission (AIE) polyurethane with self-healing capability can increase the lifetime of the material and adapt it to multiple application scenarios, which is a huge challenge in the development of luminescent smart materials. Herein, a range of transparent fluorescence polyurethanes (FPUs) with prominent strength were designed and synthesized. The optimization of robust FPUs exhibits outstanding mechanical performance (33.5 MPa tensile strength, 120.2 MJ m−3 toughness) and self-healing ability (88.9 %, at 80 °C for 2 h). Furthermore, the aggregation of tetraphenylethylene structure in the hard segment causes the system to emit bright blue fluoresence. We successfully screen-printed designable patterns on the self-healing polyurethane substrates. The concealed patterns self-repair after damage, and can be clearly and robustly displayed under 365 nm light irradiation. The as-prepared multifunctional self-healing material, exhibiting stable AIE fluorescence, is anticipated to possess significant value in the domains of smart anti-counterfeiting materials, flexible display screens and intelligent optoelectronics.