Tough and stretchable ionogels

Researchers at NC State University report ionogels with best in class mechanical properties in a paper in Nature Materials titled “Tough and stretchable ionogels via in situ phase separation“. Gels are polymer networks swollen with liquid. Gels are common in our daily life. Examples include contact lenses, tofu, and jelly. These gels are swollen with water and therefore called hydrogels. Hydrogels have been utilized in the literature for a wide range of applications such as wearable electronics, sensors and actuators, and energy storage devices (i.e., batteries and supercapacitors). However, water evaporation limits the practical use of hydrogels.