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Intrinsically Stretchable Block Copolymer Based on PEDOT:PSS for Improved Performance in Bioelectronic Applications
Rachel Blau1, Alexander X Chen1, Beril Polat1
1Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0448, La Jolla, California 92093-0448, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|January 24, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed intrinsically stretchable conductive polymers by synthesizing block copolymers of poly(styrenesulfonate) and poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate). These new PEDOT:PSS materials offer improved mechanical compliance for bioelectronic devices without additives.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Organic Electronics
Background:
- Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is a key conductive polymer in organic electronics.
- Commercial PEDOT:PSS formulations have poor mechanical properties, limiting their use in bioelectronic applications.
- Additives can improve PEDOT:PSS flexibility but risk leaching, device failure, and toxicity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize intrinsically stretchable block copolymers for PEDOT:PSS.
- To enhance the mechanical compliance of PEDOT:PSS without using additives.
- To tune the mechanical and electronic properties of PEDOT:PSS for bioelectronic applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized a library of PSS-PPEGMEA block copolymers using reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization.
- Used these block copolymers as scaffolds for oxidative polymerization of PEDOT.
- Investigated the effect of PPEGMEA block length and blending with PEDOT:PSS on material properties.
Main Results:
- Block copolymers with longer PPEGMEA segments (Block-6) exhibited higher fracture strain (75%) and lower elastic modulus (9.7 MPa).
- Increased PPEGMEA length decreased conductivity, but blending with PEDOT:PSS (Blend-6) recovered conductivity to 2.14 S cm⁻¹.
- Block-6 demonstrated superior performance as a dry electrode for surface electromyography compared to commercial PEDOT:PSS.
Conclusions:
- Intrinsically stretchable PEDOT:PSS block copolymers can be synthesized to overcome the limitations of commercial formulations.
- Tuning PPEGMEA block length and blending allows for optimization of mechanical and electronic properties.
- These novel materials show promise for advanced bioelectronic applications, particularly as skin-adherent dry electrodes.
