A High Stretchable and Self-Healing Silicone Rubber with Double Reversible Bonds

It is a challenge to synthesize silicone rubber with high stretchability and rapid self-healing ability without external stimuli. This article reports on a new class of self-healing poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PDMS) elastomer fabricated by introducing double reversible bonds (imine and hydrogen bonds) into silicone chains. Through reasonable structural design, the silicone rubber with high-efficiency self-healing ability was produced. The as-prepared PDMS elastomer films exhibited high stretchability (>4000%), good transparency (>80%) and fast self-healing efficiency (3 h at room temperature a healing efficiency of 93%). It could also be healed at low temperature (-20 degrees C) and processed cyclically. In addition, we combined carbon nanotube films with this elastomer to prepare a flexible and stretchable capacitive sensor through a simple process.