Dynamic chemistry in ionic liquid-based conductor

Ionic liquids, as a kind of liquid conductors with the unique inherent abilities of rapid self-healing, highly adaptive deformation, reconstruction, as well as high ionic conductivity, have been highly praised and recommended as a new competitive conducting material for green electronics. However, ionic liquids are likely encountered with the leakage problems when they are integrated into electronic devices. This issue as well as the need to develop intelligent electronics stimulate the innovation of ionic liquids with response characters besides conducting performance. Some "innovative" or "functional" ionic liquids consisting dynamic chemical bonds can reversibly switch between different states in response to external stimuli. These specialized ionic liquids afford powerful supplements to minimize the issue of leakage of ionic liquid conductors from electrical circuits, and also exhibit the properties of self-healing, reprocessing, adaptive deformation, which accord with the forthcoming era of Internet of Things. This review systematically summarizes the progresses of ionic liquid-based conductors containing dynamic bonds, particularly highlighting their applicable merits in self-healing, stretchable, and recyclable aspects. We also discuss the challenges in the next period and describe an unambiguous future of this research area.