Highly stretchable, low-hysteresis, and robust polymeric gels enabled by solvent engineering for wireless sensing and encrypted communication

Abstract

Polymeric gels have emerged as cornerstone materials in driving transformative advancements in flexible sensors, electronic skins, and wearable devices. While low hysteresis enables efficient energy transfer, high stretchability accommodates large deformations, and superior mechanical strength ensures structural integrity, their balanced integration remains a critical challenge. In this research, we introduce a solvent-engineered approach to fabricate P(HEA-co-AA) DES-IL gels via a precisely tuned hybrid solvent system. By leveraging electrostatic interactions and structural dynamics, the resulting DES-IL gels exhibit exceptional mechanical properties, including ultra-high stretchability (∼1783.6 %), high fracture strength (520.5 kPa), and superior compressive strength (∼795.0 kPa at 75 % strain). Additionally, these gels show low hysteresis (6.4 %) and a low energy coefficient (η = 0.175). These intrinsically conductive gels were utilized to develop customizable strain sensors, demonstrating notable sensitivity with a gauge factor of 1.01 and a remarkable linear correlation coefficient (R² = 0.998) across a broad strain range. These sensors also featured a fast response time (143 ms), low hysteresis time (161 ms), and a low strain detection threshold (0.1 %). Leveraging these features, a wireless motion detection platform was demonstrated, enabling real-time recognition of dynamic strain and human motion patterns. Furthermore, these sensors support encrypted data transmission, highlighting their potential for secure, multifunctional sensing in next-generation flexible electronics.