Tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metals

Abstract Ion-conductive materials have received much attention because of their good mechanical and electrical properties. However, their practical applications are still hampered by limited toughness and crack resistance, stemming from the restricted size of energy dissipation zones, which impacts...

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Main Authors: Xiaolin Lyu, Kun Yu, Haoqi Zhang, Piaopiao Zhou, Zhihao Shen, Zhigang Zou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59396-9
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author Xiaolin Lyu
Kun Yu
Haoqi Zhang
Piaopiao Zhou
Zhihao Shen
Zhigang Zou
author_facet Xiaolin Lyu
Kun Yu
Haoqi Zhang
Piaopiao Zhou
Zhihao Shen
Zhigang Zou
author_sort Xiaolin Lyu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Ion-conductive materials have received much attention because of their good mechanical and electrical properties. However, their practical applications are still hampered by limited toughness and crack resistance, stemming from the restricted size of energy dissipation zones, which impacts their reliability and durability. Herein, tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels (FRCIs) with crack resistance are fabricated by incorporating high-performance fibers into elastic ionogels to efficiently dissipate energy. The FRCIs exhibit good tearing toughness, high strength, high elastic modulus, and low bending modulus. The toughness and crack resistance of the FRCI far exceed that of previously reported gel materials, even outperforming metals and alloys. Furthermore, the electrical resistance of FRCI shows high sensitivity to deformation. Moreover, it remains undamaged after undergoing 10,000 bending cycles when fixing the artificial bone, and possesses self-sensing impact resistance, demonstrating great potential in intelligent robots and smart protective equipment.
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issn 2041-1723
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publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
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spelling doaj-art-736af1038c1c4e67baae3b9e68b0a4072025-08-20T02:10:54ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-0116111110.1038/s41467-025-59396-9Tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metalsXiaolin Lyu0Kun Yu1Haoqi Zhang2Piaopiao Zhou3Zhihao Shen4Zhigang Zou5Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials Technologies, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityKey Laboratory of Advanced Materials Technologies, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityKey Laboratory of Advanced Materials Technologies, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Fujian Medical University Union HospitalKey Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking UniversityKey Laboratory of Advanced Materials Technologies, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou UniversityAbstract Ion-conductive materials have received much attention because of their good mechanical and electrical properties. However, their practical applications are still hampered by limited toughness and crack resistance, stemming from the restricted size of energy dissipation zones, which impacts their reliability and durability. Herein, tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels (FRCIs) with crack resistance are fabricated by incorporating high-performance fibers into elastic ionogels to efficiently dissipate energy. The FRCIs exhibit good tearing toughness, high strength, high elastic modulus, and low bending modulus. The toughness and crack resistance of the FRCI far exceed that of previously reported gel materials, even outperforming metals and alloys. Furthermore, the electrical resistance of FRCI shows high sensitivity to deformation. Moreover, it remains undamaged after undergoing 10,000 bending cycles when fixing the artificial bone, and possesses self-sensing impact resistance, demonstrating great potential in intelligent robots and smart protective equipment.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59396-9
spellingShingle Xiaolin Lyu
Kun Yu
Haoqi Zhang
Piaopiao Zhou
Zhihao Shen
Zhigang Zou
Tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metals
Nature Communications
title Tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metals
title_full Tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metals
title_fullStr Tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metals
title_full_unstemmed Tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metals
title_short Tough fiber-reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metals
title_sort tough fiber reinforced composite ionogels with crack resistance surpassing metals
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59396-9
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AT piaopiaozhou toughfiberreinforcedcompositeionogelswithcrackresistancesurpassingmetals
AT zhihaoshen toughfiberreinforcedcompositeionogelswithcrackresistancesurpassingmetals
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