J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2026, Vol. 265: 256-265.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.10.075

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spider-silk-inspired dynamic poly(urethane-urea) networks with mechanical reinforcement via mismatched supramolecular interactions for luminescent fibers

Ting Yea,b, Fang Zhanga, Tao Zhangb, Liyang Songa, Jinglei Tanga, Chen Zhanga, Yunjie Yina, Katja Loosb,*, Chaoxia Wanga,*   

  1. aCollege of Textile Science and Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China;
    bMacromolecular Chemistry and New Polymeric Materials, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 3, Groningen 9747 AG, the Netherlands
  • Received:2025-08-08 Revised:2025-10-26 Accepted:2025-10-30 Published:2026-09-10 Online:2025-11-26
  • Contact: * E-mail addresses: k.u.loos@rug.nl (K. Loos), wangchaoxia@sohu.com (C. Wang).

Abstract: Most current soft and flexible luminescent matrices exhibit poor mechanical performance, leading to limited performance reliability and longevity. Inspired by the heterogeneous structure of spider silk, we developed a sacrificial, robust, and self-healing poly(urethane-urea) (Supra-PU) elastomer with a physically hydrogen-bonded crosslinked network via the mismatched mechanistic interplay between flexible and rigid segments. This engineered structure leads to denser hard domains and effective energy dissipation, enabling the optimal Supra-PU elastomer to exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties, such as an ultrahigh strength of 30.6 MPa with a fracture strain of 1251.8 %, a true stress at break of 423.3 MPa, toughness of 102.9 MJ m-3, and damage-tolerant performance with a high fracture energy of 4.7 kJ m-2. Moreover, loosely packed and noncrystallized hard domains impart the desired network with low chain restriction and high relaxation dynamics, resulting in a high healing efficiency of 92.1 % with restored toughness of 94.8 MJ m-3. Furthermore, luminescent fibers are achieved via wet spinning with superior mechanical properties and cyan afterglow (~0.8 s). This meticulous molecular engineering provides valuable insights for advancing high-performance self-healable poly(urethane-urea) and luminescent materials.

Key words: Self-healing, Mismatched supramolecular interactions, Poly(urethane-urea), Wet spinning, Luminescent fiber