Instant bonding of hydrogels for soft machines and electronics
Introducing methods for instant tough bonding between hydrogels and antagonistic materials – from soft to hard – allows researchers to demonstrate elastic yet tough biomimetic devices and machines with a high level of complexity.
Tough hydrogels strongly attach, within seconds, to plastics, elastomers, leather, bone, and metals, reaching unprecedented interfacial toughness exceeding 2000 J/m2.
Applicable in rapid prototyping
Healing of severed ionic hydrogel conductors becomes feasible and restores function instantly. Soft, transparent multilayered hybrids of elastomers and ionic hydrogels endure biaxial strain with more than 2000% increase in area, facilitating soft transducers, generators, and adaptive lenses. The scientists demonstrate soft electronic devices, from stretchable batteries, self-powered compliant circuits, and autonomous electronic skin for triggered drug delivery. Their approach is applicable in rapid prototyping and in delicate environments inaccessible for extended curing and cross-linking.
The study is published in: Sciences Advances, Vol. 3, 6-2017.
