High‐Stretch, Low‐Hysteresis, Low‐Temperature Tolerance Ion‐Conducting Elastomer for Stable Strain and Temperature Sensing

ABSTRACT

Solid‐state, solvent‐free ion‐conducting elastomers (ICEs) have become a reliable alternative to gel‐based ionic conductors, attracting extensive attention in the field of flexible sensors. However, developing ICEs that combine high stretchability, low hysteresis, low‐temperature tolerance, and strong adhesion remains challenging. Here, we designed a peptide crosslinker (PBLG), which was copolymerized with 2‐methoxyethyl acrylate (MEA) and LiTFSI to obtain an ion‐conducting elastomer with good performance combination. The peptide crosslinker endows the ICE with excellent stretchability (≈2000%), significant low‐hysteresis (≈14.5%) and good adhesion (≈200 kPa) due to the α‐helix reversible folding‐unfolding interaction. In addition, the ICE also exhibits low‐temperature tolerance, which can be stretched about 18‐fold at −15°C. Based on the above performance, PBLG‐crosslinked ICE sensor that can respond to strain or temperature was designed. The sensor delivers reproducible resistance signals over 10,000 cycles without drift, which can monitor human movement and body temperature in real time.