Rapid preparation of liquid-free, antifreeze, stretchable, and ion-conductive eutectic gels with good compression resistance and self-healing properties by frontal polymerization

The development of elastomers from renewable raw material resources, with excellent properties, has been a major and difficult area of research. In this work, ternary polymerizable deep eutectic monomers (DEMs) were synthesized from acrylamide, choline chloride, and glycerol (Gy). A series of mixed hydrogels were prepared in 15 min through thermal initiation in DEM using a frontal chemical change. The eutectic gel exhibited good mechanical and self-healing properties, and the mechanical and self-healing properties of the target gel could be regulated by adjusting the proportion of Gy, while the eutectic gel could maintain high elongation and self-healing efficiency at low temperatures. Additional, eutectic gels could be compressed to a strain of more than 80% and could immediately recover to their original state when the compression force was released. In the cyclic compression test, the eutectic gel cyclic compression curves showed a high degree of overlap, and no significant hysteresis was observed, even at a set strain of 80% and 100 cyclic compression times. In addition, the eutectic gel showed fine ionic conductivity, and both the water content and Gy content could affect its conductivity, giving it the potential to be used in the application of manufacturing pressure-sensitive sensors.