Self-healing and superstretchable conductors from hierarchical nanowire assemblies

Abstract

It is still a great challenge to improve deformability and fatigue-resistance of stretchable conductors when maintaining their high-level conductivity for practical use. Herein, a high-performance stretchable conductor with hierarchically ternary network and self-healing capability is demonstrated through in situ polymerizing N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) on well-defined sulfur-containing molecule-modified Ag nanowire (AgNW) aerogel framework. Owing to hierarchical architecture from nanoscale to microscale and further to macroscale and strong interactions of polymer chains and AgNWs, the composite exhibits good conductivity of 93 S cm⁻¹, excellent electromechanical stability up to superhigh tensile strain of 800% and strong fatigue-resistant ability through well accommodating the applied deformations and sharing external force in the network. Furthermore, the composite delivers a fast and strong healing capability induced by reversible Ag–S bonds, which enables the healed conductor to hold an impressive electromechanical property. These prominent demonstrations confirm this material as top performer for use as flexible, stretchable electronic devices.