Increasing Stretchability of Conjugated Polymers Using Metal-Ligand Coordination

Stretchable and mechanically robust materials are now becoming crucial for the development of wearable electronics. In particular, semiconducting conjugated polymers have been shown to be remarkable candidates when preparing new electronic devices as the exhibit good charge transport properties, synthetic versatility and easy tunability. In recent years, the development of these types of materials have been utilized the use of dynamic crosslinking, especially metal-ligand interactions, is a promising avenue to prepare and design stretchable materials while also enabling novel properties such as self-healing. However, in their synthesis and application, there are many challenges overcome to achieve stretchable conjugated polymers, due to the intrinsic competition between electronic and mechanical properties. The objective of the project is to develop a novel strategy towards developing intrinsically stretchable and self-healing conjugated polymers for application in stretchable electronics. This main objective will be achieved by incorporating metal coordinating moieties, namely imine side-chains, to the polymer in order to chelate to Iron(II). This dynamic coordination will allow for the polymer network to dissipate strain, thus enhancing the mechanical properties of the materials. Moreover, this will also allow for regeneration of the polymer network after being damaged through a process known as self-healing. This presentation will discuss our recent progress toward new metal-coordinating conjugated polymers, especially focusing on their design and preparation