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A Simple and Scalable Fabrication Method for Organic Electronic Devices on Textiles
Published on: March 13, 2017
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Three-Dimensional Flexible All-Organic Conductors for Multifunctional Wearable Applications
In Kyu Moon, Seonno Yoon, Hee Uk Lee1
1Development of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University , Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02855, Republic of Korea.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|October 26, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed flexible, wearable energy devices using 3D poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-coated textiles. These PEDOT/textile conductors enable high-performance wearable heaters and all-solid-state supercapacitors with excellent mechanical flexibility.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Textile Engineering
Background:
- Wearable electronic devices require flexible, conductive materials.
- Traditional materials like carbon fabrics and metal wires have limitations in flexibility and integration with textiles.
- π-conjugated polymers offer a promising alternative due to their tunable properties and textile compatibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a general and novel method for creating tailorable, wearable energy devices.
- To fabricate three-dimensional (3D) poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-coated textile conductors.
- To demonstrate the potential of these PEDOT/textile conductors in wearable heaters and supercapacitors.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 3D PEDOT/textile conductors using facile solution-dropping polymerization.
- Characterization of the electrical properties (sheet resistance) of PEDOT/textile.
- Preparation of nano-ascidian-like PEDOT (PEDOT-NA) arrays on PEDOT/textile via vapor-phase polymerization for supercapacitors.
- Testing of wearable textile heaters and all-solid-state supercapacitors.
Main Results:
- Achieved very low sheet resistance (4.6-4.9 Ω·sq-1) for PEDOT/textile.
- Demonstrated a large-area textile heater reaching ~83.9 °C at 7 V.
- Developed PEDOT-NA arrays on PEDOT/textile with high areal capacitance (563.3 mF·cm-2) and mechanical flexibility.
- Reported maximum volumetric power density (1.75 W·cm-3) and energy density (0.0812 Wh·cm-3) for nanostructured PEDOT.
Conclusions:
- The developed 3D PEDOT/textile conductors are highly suitable for wearable energy devices.
- These materials exhibit excellent electrical conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and performance in both heating and energy storage applications.
- Wearable nanostructured conducting polymers show significant promise for smart textronics and energy conversion/storage systems.
