Strong and Anti-Impact Multi-Functional Elastomer via Hierarchical Hydrogen Bonding Design

Abstract

Despite extensive research on enhancing the strength, toughness, or impact resistance of elastomers, materials that simultaneously integrate these properties remain elusive. In this work, a multifunctional elastomer is developed with high strength, superior toughness, and excellent impact resistance by designing multiscale structures. The synergistic coupling of strong and weak hydrogen bonds, rigid ring-flexible chain coordination, and precise control of hard/soft block ratio enabled the development of an optimized multiscale architecture tailored for superior performance, achieving a tensile strength of 84 MPa and a toughness of 450 MJ m⁻³, while maintaining excellent impact resistance across varying strain rates. Additionally, the incorporation of hindered urea dynamic covalent bonds and hydrogen bond-induced localized conjugation effect impart thermal adhesion and fluorescence capabilities, broadening the material's functional application scenarios. This multiscale molecular design strategy not only facilitates the tailoring of high-performance materials but also provides new insights into the structure-property relationships in elastomers.