Bioinspired Design of High Vibration-Damping Supramolecular Elastomers Based on Multiple Energy-Dissipation Mechanisms

Suppressing vibrations and noises is essential for our automated society. Here, inspired by the hierarchical dynamic bonds and phase separation of mussel byssal threads, we synthesize high-damping supramolecular elastomers (HDEs) via simple one-pot radical polymerization of butyl acrylate (BA), acrylic acid (AA), and vinylimidazole (VI). Interestingly, AA and VI not only form hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds simultaneously but also segregate into aggregates of different sizes, thereby successfully mimicking the hierarchical structure of mussel byssal threads. When applying external forces, the weak hydrogen bonds are broken at first and then the ionic bonds and aggregates are disrupted progressively from small to large deformations. Such multiple energy-dissipation mechanisms lead to the outstanding damping property of the HDEs. Therefore, the HDEs outperform commercially available rubbers in terms of sound absorption and vibration damping. Furthermore, the multiple energy-dissipation mechanisms impart the HDEs with high toughness (41.1 MJ/m3), tensile strength (21.3 MPa), and self-healing ability.