Jellyfish-Inspired Self-Healing Luminescent Elastomers Based on Borate Nanoassemblies for Dual-Model Encryption.

ABSTRACT

Responsive luminescent materials that reversibly react to external stimuli have emerged as prospective platforms for information encryption applications. Despite brilliant achievements, the existing fluorescent materials usually have low information density and experience inevitable information loss when subjected to mechanical damage. Here, inspired by the hierarchical nanostructure of fluorescent proteins in jellyfish, we propose a self-healable, photoresponsive luminescent elastomer based on dynamic interface-anchored borate nanoassemblies for smart dual-model encryption. The rigid cyclodextrin molecule restricts the movement of the guest fluorescent molecules, enabling long room-temperature phosphorescence (0.37 s) and excitation wavelength-responsive fluorescence. The building of reversible interfacial bonding between nanoassemblies and polymer matrix together with their nanoconfinement effect endows the nanocomposites with excellent mechanical performances (tensile strength of 15.8 MPa) and superior mechanical and functional recovery capacities after damage. Such supramolecular nanoassemblies with dynamic nanoconfinement and interfaces enable simultaneous material functionalization and self-healing, paving the way for the development of advanced functional materials.