Designing Supertough and Ultrastretchable Liquid Metal-Embedded Natural Rubber Composites for Soft-Matter Engineering

Functional elastomers with incredible toughness and stretchability are indispensable for applications in soft robotics wearable electronics. Furthermore, coupled excellent electrical thermal properties, these materials at the forefront of recent efforts toward widespread use cutting-edge electronics devices. Herein, we introduce a highly deformable eutectic-GaIn liquid metal alloy-embedded natural rubber (NR) architecture employing, first time, industrially viable solid-state mixing vulcanization. Standard methods processing vulcanization allow us to fragment disperse metals into submicron-sized droplets cross-linked NR without compromising elastic properties base matrix. In addition substantial boosts mechanical (strain failure up ?650%) (negligible hysteresis loss) performances, tearing energy composite was enhanced 6 times, fourfold reduction crack growth rate achieved over control vulcanizate. Moreover, demonstrate improved conductivity dielectric resulting composites. Therefore, this work provides facile scalable pathway develop metal-embedded elastomeric composites that could be instrumental potential soft-matter engineering.