Recent advancements in self-healing composite elastomers for flexible strain sensors: Materials, healing systems, and features

This article systematically reviewed recently advanced progress in the development of self-healing composite elastomers for flexible strain sensors. Prevalent self-healing elastomeric matrixes, including natural rubber (NR), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and polyurethane (PU), as well as other novel elastomers, were comprehensively reviewed. The properties of different dynamic linkages, the choice of various conductive fillers, and critical performance parameters were summarized and discussed in detail to provide insights into the rational combination of healing mechanisms and hybrid conductive networks to control the sensing performances. We expect this review could inspire the development of novel self-healing composite elastomers for high-performance flexible strain sensors.