Sustainable Collagen Blends with Different Ionic Liquids for Resistive Touch Sensing Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Sustainable development goals necessitate eco-friendly materials for the Internet of Things (IoT).
• Natural polymers like collagen offer a sustainable base for advanced electronic components.
• Ionic liquids (ILs) can modify polymer properties for tailored applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create sustainable sensor materials by blending collagen with various ionic liquids.
• To investigate how different IL types and concentrations affect collagen-based material properties.
• To demonstrate the potential of these blends in touch sensing devices.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of collagen-ionic liquid blends with varying compositions.
• Characterization of mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties.
• Fabrication and testing of a resistive touch sensor prototype.

Main Results:

• Collagen/[Ch][Seri] blends exhibited significant changes in mechanical properties.
• The optimal ionic conductivity of 0.023 mS cm⁻¹ was achieved with 40 wt% [Ch][Seri].
• The developed films functioned effectively as resistive touch sensors.

Conclusions:

• Collagen-ionic liquid blends are promising for next-generation sustainable electronics.
• Tailoring IL content allows for precise control over sensor material properties.
• These materials are suitable for eco-friendly touch sensing applications in IoT devices.