Conductive materials that can conform to the human body and exhibit stable electrical output under strain is of great importance to the field of wearable electronics, particular those have applications in biomedical research. 3D printing technology can enable the personalization of these materials and electronics so that they tailor fit each individuals. The desired material needs to have good electrical conductivity, stretchability, compliant stiffness, high toughness, 3D printability, and preferrably self-healing like the biological systems. In this talk, I will discuss the rational design and synthesis of a viscoelastic and self-healing conjugated polymer that can be 3D-printed. The viscoelasticity of the polymer can be tuned by the molecular structure and molecular weight of the dopant polymer. Room temperature self-healing capability is created by incorportating reversible bonding moieties into both the conjugated polymer and its dopant polymer. A water-based paste comprised of over 80% this conjugated polymer undergoes significant shear-thinning, allowing the material to be printed via a pressurized extrusion nozzle attached to a 3D printer. The polymeric material exhibit conductivity over 10 S/cm, which can be furthur enhanced with the addition of Ag nanowire fillers.

3D printable, self-healing, viscoelastic conducting polymer for wearable electronics applications

255th National Meeting (2018)

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