Empowering Low-Hysteresis and Ultra-Stable Polymeric Gels Through Tailored Solvent Engineering for Skin-Like Soft Electronics

Low-hysteresis polymeric gels are crucial for advancing soft electronics, and wearable devices, effectively mitigating irreversible fatigue damage and extending device lifespans. However, simultaneously achieving low energy dissipation, robust elastic recovery, and high adaptability remains a critical challenge. Herein, a novel ionic eutectic solution (IES)-driven design strategy is introduced, optimizing intermolecular interactions and dynamic network properties to reduce energy dissipation and enhance elastic recovery. The resulting IES gels exhibit ultra-low hysteresis strain (0.46%) and a minimal energy loss coefficient (0.042), maintaining exceptional anti-fatigue durability over 20 000 cycles. These intrinsically conductive gels facilitate the fabrication of customizable sensors, achieving rapid response (94 ms), low hysteresis (96 ms), and an ultra-low detection limit of 0.1% strain. With a skin-like elasticity modulus (≈198 kPa) and robust adhesion sustained over 100 days, these gels improve wearer comfort by eliminating the discomfort associated with overly stiff or overly soft materials that mismatch with human tissue. Leveraging these properties, a real-time overload detection system based on IES gels is developed, enabling precise identification of dynamic strain and motion patterns for efficient overload warnings. This study introduces a versatile strategy for constructing high-performance polymeric gels through tailored solvent engineering, paving the way for advanced skin-like materials in soft electronics.