Aramid polymers have long been known to possess excellent mechanical properties. Kevlar, possibly the most famous aramid polymer, is often employed in bullet resistant vests and body armor. Aramid polymers derive their strength from their high crystallinity as well as strong inter-chain interactions from hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stacking. High strength and toughness are also important to systems where high cycle life is desired. Flexible electronics often utilizes thiolene materials due to their facile network formation and compatibility with deposited metals; however, thiolene systems often possess poor mechanical properties due to the flexibility of the thiols employed to form the networks. Combining the high mechanical properties of aramid polymers with the versatility of thiolene polymers should yield a unique class of thiolene-aramid polymers which have good physical properties, are compatible with flexible electronics and possess thermal stabilities enabling high temperature processing. Herein we report on the synthesis and properties of a range of thiolene-aramid polymers and their potential application in flexible electronics.Figure 1. A) Classic aramid hydrogen bonding and stacking. B) Proposed dithiol aramid monomer and hydrogen bonding. C) Proposed dithiol aramid and functionality.

Thiolene-aramid polymers: Novel platforms for flexible electronics

247th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.