A Versatile Conductive Ternary Polymer Complex Nanocomposite Sensor with Repeatable, Rapid, Autonomous Self-Healing and Unprecedented Mechanical Properties

Wearable sensors, stretchable electronics, and many soft robotics materials must<br/>have a sufficiently high balance of conductivity, stretchability, and robustness. Intrinsically<br/>conductive polymers offer a critical step toward improving wearable sensor materials due to<br/>their tunable conductivity, soft/compliant nature, and ability to complex with other synergistic<br/>molecules (i.e., polyacids, small molecule dopants). The addition of nanofillers offers the<br/>potential to improve the conductivity of polymers for soft robotics and wearable applications,<br/>while itand also affects and improves the self-healing and mechanical properties of the<br/>material. The development of a robust polymer nanocomposite material that offers ultra-<br/>stretchability, an autonomous self-healing ability, and enhanced electronic properties has<br/>eluded researchers. Here we show an aqueous polyaniline [PANI]:poly(2-acrylamido-2-<br/>methylpropane sulfonic acid) [PAAMPSA]:phytic acid [PA] ternary polymer [TP] complex<br/>synthesized with silver nanowires (AgNW) to form a polymer nanocomposite with high<br/>electronic sensitivity, unprecedented mechanical properties (a maximum strain of 4693% at<br/>ambient humidity; ~52 RH%), and repeatable, autonomous self-healing efficiencies of greater<br/>than 98%. The AgNW TP complex has an engineering strain higher than all hydrogel and<br/>other polymeric sensor materials, in which the interface between the polymer matrix and the<br/>AgNW is hypothesized to be integral for the formation of an active conductive network. To<br/>illustrate the remarkable sensitivity, the material was employed as a biomedical sensor (pulse,<br/>voice recognition, motion), topographical sensor, and high sensitivity sensor.