Preparation of conductive and stretchable films based on PEDOT copolymer

Otkriće vodljivosti kod nekih vrsta polimera potaknulo je znanstveni interes i nova istraživanja. Vodljivi polimeri imaju velik potencijal te nude zanimljiva rješenja tehničkih problema. Dobra električna i optička svojstva vodljivih polimera omogućuju njihovu primjenu u elektrokromnim uređajima, solarnim ćelijama, senzorima te nosivoj elektronici. Jedan od najpoznatijih predstavnika vodljivih polimera je poli(3,4-etilendioksitiofen) (PEDOT). Kopolimerizacijom PEDOT-a s nekim drugim polimerima mijenjaju se svojstva produkta. Cilj ovog rada je razviti vodljive i istezljive filmove na bazi PEDOT kopolimera. U tu svrhu izrađeni su kompozitni filmovi PEDOT-a i termoplastičnog elastomera stiren-etilen-butilen-stirena (SEBS) koji doprinosi istezljivosti polimerne mješavine. Naknadnom polimerizacijom prijenosom atoma (ATRP) na lanac PEDOT-a ugrađen je poli(akrilat-uretan) (PAU) koji bi zbog posjedovanja vodikovih veza mogao ostvariti fizikalno umrežavanje te tako postići svojstvo samozacijeljivanja filmova. Produkti reakcija okarakterizirani su metodama instrumentalne analize: nuklearna magnetska rezonancija (NMR), infracrvena spektroskopija s Fourierovom transformacijom (FTIR), termogravimetrijska analiza (TGA), diferencijalna pretražna kalorimetrija (DSC), metoda dinamičkog raspršenja svjetlosti (DLS), metoda sonde s 4 točke (4PP) te snimanje pretražnim elektronskim mikroskopom (SEM). Izrađeni polimerni filmovi pokazali su kombinaciju električne provodnosti, istezljivosti, stabilnosti i samozacijeljivosti koja im omogućava potencijalnu primjenu u nosivoj elektronici.The discovery of the conductivity of some polymers has aroused scientific interest and spurred new research. Conductive polymers have great potential and offer interesting solutions to technical problems. The good electrical and optical properties of conductive polymers enable their use in electrochromic devices, solar cells, sensors and wearable electronics. One of the best-known representatives of conductive polymers is poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). Copolymerization of PEDOT with some other polymers changes the properties of the product. The aim of this work is to develop conductive and stretchable films based on PEDOT copolymers. For this purpose, composite films were prepared from PEDOT and the thermoplastic elastomer styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS), which contributes to the stretchability of the polymer blend. By subsequent atom transfer polymerization (ATRP) poly(acrylate-urethane) (PAU) was grafted to PEDOT backbone to achieve physical crosslinking and thus the self-healing properties of the films due to the presence of hydrogen bonds. The reaction products were characterized by instrumental analytical methods: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), 4-point Probe Method (4PP), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The fabricated polymer films showed a combination of electrical conductivity, stretchability, stability, and self-healing, making them potentially applicable in wearable electronics