Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stretchability by Plasticizer‐Facilitated PEDOT:PSS Self‐Alignment
Abstract Stretchable, soft electronics have high potential for wearable healthcare applications and biointerfacing. One approach to render inherently brittle conductive polymers such as poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) stretchable are organic plasticizers. However,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Advanced Science |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202502853 |
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| author | Carla Volkert Mateusz Brzezinski Pablo Gomez Argudo Renan Colucci Sapun H. Parekh Pol Besenius Jasper J. Michels Ulrike Kraft |
| author_facet | Carla Volkert Mateusz Brzezinski Pablo Gomez Argudo Renan Colucci Sapun H. Parekh Pol Besenius Jasper J. Michels Ulrike Kraft |
| author_sort | Carla Volkert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Stretchable, soft electronics have high potential for wearable healthcare applications and biointerfacing. One approach to render inherently brittle conductive polymers such as poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) stretchable are organic plasticizers. However, little is known on how they affect the morphology and in result the electrical properties of conductive thin‐films. This study fundamentally explores this relationship using a bilayer model of transfer‐printed PEDOT:PSS on stretchable, biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol) substrates infused with glycerol (15–55 wt.%). The diffusion of the plasticizer leads to a reorganization of PEDOT and PSS, which is investigated using a multicomponent diffusion model. This approach correctly predicts the (plasticizer‐dependent) increase in conductivity that followed plasticizer diffusion and is attributed to the reorganization toward more interconnected PEDOT domains. In result, the system shows an improved electrical response to strain as well as crack‐free elongation. Simultaneously, the electrical resistance decreases to one‐fifth of its initial value, which is attributed to chain‐alignment upon strain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9cd6318d6c2f4c5a9f6ba141a393d7cb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2198-3844 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advanced Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-9cd6318d6c2f4c5a9f6ba141a393d7cb2025-08-20T03:50:58ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442025-07-011227n/an/a10.1002/advs.202502853Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stretchability by Plasticizer‐Facilitated PEDOT:PSS Self‐AlignmentCarla Volkert0Mateusz Brzezinski1Pablo Gomez Argudo2Renan Colucci3Sapun H. Parekh4Pol Besenius5Jasper J. Michels6Ulrike Kraft7Organic Bioelectronics Research Group Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research 55128 Mainz GermanyDepartment of Molecular Electronics Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research 55128 Mainz GermanyDepartment of Molecular Spectroscopy Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research 55128 Mainz GermanyOrganic Bioelectronics Research Group Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research 55128 Mainz GermanyDepartment of Molecular Spectroscopy Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research 55128 Mainz GermanyDepartment of Chemistry Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 55128 Mainz GermanyDepartment of Molecular Electronics Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research 55128 Mainz GermanyOrganic Bioelectronics Research Group Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research 55128 Mainz GermanyAbstract Stretchable, soft electronics have high potential for wearable healthcare applications and biointerfacing. One approach to render inherently brittle conductive polymers such as poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) stretchable are organic plasticizers. However, little is known on how they affect the morphology and in result the electrical properties of conductive thin‐films. This study fundamentally explores this relationship using a bilayer model of transfer‐printed PEDOT:PSS on stretchable, biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol) substrates infused with glycerol (15–55 wt.%). The diffusion of the plasticizer leads to a reorganization of PEDOT and PSS, which is investigated using a multicomponent diffusion model. This approach correctly predicts the (plasticizer‐dependent) increase in conductivity that followed plasticizer diffusion and is attributed to the reorganization toward more interconnected PEDOT domains. In result, the system shows an improved electrical response to strain as well as crack‐free elongation. Simultaneously, the electrical resistance decreases to one‐fifth of its initial value, which is attributed to chain‐alignment upon strain.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202502853chain‐alignmentPEDOT:PSSplasticizerstretchable electronicsFlory‐Huggins |
| spellingShingle | Carla Volkert Mateusz Brzezinski Pablo Gomez Argudo Renan Colucci Sapun H. Parekh Pol Besenius Jasper J. Michels Ulrike Kraft Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stretchability by Plasticizer‐Facilitated PEDOT:PSS Self‐Alignment Advanced Science chain‐alignment PEDOT:PSS plasticizer stretchable electronics Flory‐Huggins |
| title | Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stretchability by Plasticizer‐Facilitated PEDOT:PSS Self‐Alignment |
| title_full | Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stretchability by Plasticizer‐Facilitated PEDOT:PSS Self‐Alignment |
| title_fullStr | Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stretchability by Plasticizer‐Facilitated PEDOT:PSS Self‐Alignment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stretchability by Plasticizer‐Facilitated PEDOT:PSS Self‐Alignment |
| title_short | Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stretchability by Plasticizer‐Facilitated PEDOT:PSS Self‐Alignment |
| title_sort | enhanced electrical performance and stretchability by plasticizer facilitated pedot pss self alignment |
| topic | chain‐alignment PEDOT:PSS plasticizer stretchable electronics Flory‐Huggins |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202502853 |
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