Unraveling positive deformation rate-elongation relationships in tough and highly stretchable ionogels under rapid deformation

Polymer ionogels are conductive materials with broad applications, however, the toughening and deformation mechanisms of ionogels under rapid deformation remain largely unexplored. Traditional toughening mechanisms based on sacrificial bonds between polymer chains suffer from the deformation rate-elongation trade-off. Here, we present a transparent, strong (26 MPa), tough (152 MJ m−3), stretchable (elongation 1028 %), and conductive ionogel that exhibits a positive correlation between deformation rate and elongation. The mechanical properties under different deformation rates and spectra results reveal that the enhanced mechanical properties with increasing deformation rate are attributed to the synergistic slide-ring effect and solvent/anion interactions, which effectively enhance molecular mobility and facilitate deformation delocalization. The generality of this strategy is further corroborated by the analogous mechanical properties exhibited by ionogels with diverse anions. This work offers a promising strategy to design materials and deepen understanding of toughening mechanisms under rapid deformation. Polymer ionogels have potential in a number of applications, but those based on interchain sacrificial bonds typically have trade-offs with different mechanical properties. Here, the authors report an ionogel with favorable properties as a result of slide-ring effects.