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In the past few decades, flexible sensors have been widely used in medical monitoring, robotics, human-computer interaction and other fields. However, during use, the sensor will inevitably be mechanically damaged, resulting in cracks, scratches and even breaks on the surface. These structural damage can cause the sensor to lose its normal function. Therefore, the development of self-healing flexible wearable sensors is of great significance to maintain their stability and function.

Recently, Professor Liu Yuetao of Qingdao University of Science and Technology published a research paper titled: Self-Healing Ti3C2 MXene/PDMS Supramolecular Elastomers Based on Small Biomolecules Modification for Wearable Sensors in the internationally renowned academic journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Self-healing Ti3C2 MXene/PDMS supramolecular elastomers based on biomolecular interactions exhibit excellent mechanical properties, stability, and electrical sensitivity, and explore their application value in wearable sensors. MXenes were modified by esterification of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups using D-asparagine from Liliaceae. At the same time, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde in forest and grass plants was grafted to PDMS macromolecules with amino groups through imine bonds by Schiff base reaction. The A-MXene/D-PDMS elastomer can self-heal at room temperature under the action of hydrogen bonds and imine bonds after breaking. After restoration, the mechanical and electrical properties were almost completely restored. Due to the uniform dispersion of A-MXenes in the polymer system, the composite exhibits good electrical conductivity and sensitivity to stress state changes. Even the repaired material was able to successfully monitor both gross and subtle movements of human muscles. Therefore, the self-healing conductive composites based on biomolecule modification can serve as a reliable platform with potential applications in motion monitoring and speech recognition.


Figure 1. The main preparation process of A-MXene/D-PDMS elastomer and the interaction between A-MXene and D-PDMS.

Figure 2. Physical characterization of the material.

Figure 3. Characterization of mechanical properties before and after fracture healing.

Figure 4. Characterization of electrical properties before and after fracture healing.

Figure 5. Human activity monitoring before and after fracture healing.

     In conclusion, in this study, a self-healing Ti3C2 MXene/PDMS supramolecular elastomer was designed based on the interaction between biomolecules. MXenes were modified by esterification and PDMS was grafted by Schiff base reaction. A-MXenes and D-PDMS supramolecules can be combined with hydrogen bonding interactions. The conductive composite exhibits good tensile properties and self-healing ability at room temperature. After repairing for 24 h, the tensile strength and electrical conductivity of 10 wt % A-MXenes/D-PDMS recovered to 98.4 and 97.6%, respectively. Conductive composites exhibit linear and sensitive responses to tension. In addition, it can detect the activities of various joints and muscles of the human body, showing great potential in wearable sensing devices. In addition, the innovative preparation method of the MXene/PDMS composite system in this paper has important guiding significance for the design of self-healing conductive elastomers in the future.