Abstract
The fabrication of stretchable conductive material through vapor phase polymerization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is presented alongside a method to easily pattern these materials with nanosecond laser structuring. The devices were constructed from sheets of vapor phase polymerized PEDOT doped with tosylate on pre-stretched elastomeric substrates followed by laser structuring to achieve the desired geometrical shape. Devices were characterized for electrical conductivity, morphology, and electrical integrity in response to externally applied strain. Fabricated PEDOT sheets displayed a conductivity of 53.1 ± 1.2 S cm−1; clear buckling in the PEDOT microstructure was observed as a result of pre-stretching the underlying elastomeric substrate; and the final stretchable electronic devices were able to remain electrically conductive with up to 100% of externally applied strain. The described polymerization and fabrication steps achieve highly processable and patternable functional conductive polymer films, which are suitable for stretchable electronics due to their ability to withstand externally applied strains of up to 100%.
Highlights
Stretchable electronics have become a topic of focus for many academic and industrial research groups due to their ability to enable myriad emerging applications such as skin-mounted sensors, biosensors, soft robotics, and wearable displays [1,2]
Stretchable versions of PEDOT:PSS have been fabricated through geometric engineering [22], composite formation [2], and rendering the PEDOT:PSS to be intrinsically stretchable with additives [1]
vapor phase polymerization (VPP) is a versatile method of achieving highly conductive, patternable [23,24] and thin conductive polymers (CPs) films with tunable physical and electronic properties [21,24,25]. This communication aims to investigate the placement of VPP PEDOT films onto pre-stretched elastomeric substrates and the implications of this method on creating a stable stretchable electronic device
Summary
Stretchable electronics have become a topic of focus for many academic and industrial research groups due to their ability to enable myriad emerging applications such as skin-mounted sensors, biosensors, soft robotics, and wearable displays [1,2]. Geometric engineering, employed by a number of research groups, has proven to impart stretchability onto rigid electrically conductive materials through the utilization of buckled or waved architectures This method was initially described by Lacour et al [4] and Jones et al [5] in 2003 who discovered that deposition of thin layers (
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