Scalable manufacturing of real-time self-healing strain sensors based on brominated natural rubber

Flexible sensors which can recognize mechanical deformations have a great potential for next-generation smart devices. However, the defects of complicated fabrication steps, high cost and easily damaged gravely hinder their large-scale applications. Herein, we present a facile method to fabricate self-healing, highly sensitive strain sensors based on brominated natural rubber through ionically cross-linking and nanostructure design. The strong ionic bonding interaction of the components enables the elastomer with fast healing time (similar to 10 s for mechanical healing and similar to 2 s for electrical healing) and satisfactory self-healing efficiency (93.98%). Furthermore, the designed nanostructured conducive network endows the sensor with high electrical sensitivity (GF approximate to 127) to realize the detection of both large- and small-strain human motions. This work provides great possibilities for the design and scalable manufacture of self-healing elastomers and wearable electronic devices.