Highly flexible, stretchable, and durable liquid-repellent electrode based on self-sustainable lubrication

This paper introduces a highly flexible, stretchable, and self-sustainable lubricating electrode (FSLE). We developed, for the first time, deformable conductive materials with long-term liquid repellency (roll-off-angle (ROA) <; 5°) through a simple process. Our multifunctional material spontaneously releases the lubricant from inner gel matrices to the outer surfaces for at least ~700 hours, after complete surface oil removals on four occasions. This syneresis considerably improves the liquid repellency stability compared to conventional liquid-repellent surfaces inspired by lotus leaves or Nepenthes plants. The prepared materials also have high electrical conductivity (≥ 65 Ω/cm
²
composite), stretchability (>40% strain), and high flexibility. We investigated its electrical resistivity responses under stretching and bending cycles, where the durability of FSLEs was also verified.