Skin-Inspired, Highly Sensitive, Broad-Range-Response and Ultra-Strong Gradient Ionogels Prepared by Electron Beam Irradiation.

ABSTRACT

Skin, characterized by its distinctive gradient structure and interwoven fibers, possesses remarkable mechanical properties and highly sensitive attributes, enabling it to detect an extensive range of stimuli. Inspired by these inherent qualities, a pioneering approach involving the crosslinking of macromolecules through in situ electron beam irradiation (EBI) is proposed to fabricate gradient ionogels. Such a design offers remarkable mechanical properties, including excellent tensile properties (>1000%), exceptional toughness (100 MJ m-3), fatigue resistance, a broad temperature range (-65-200°C), and a distinctive gradient modulus change. Moreover, the ionogel sensor exhibits an ultra-fast response time (60 ms) comparable to skin, an incredibly low detection limit (1 kPa), and an exceptionally wide detection range (1 kPa-1 MPa). The exceptional gradient ionogel material holds tremendous promise for applications in the field of smart sensors, presenting a distinct strategy for fabricating flexible gradient materials.