Scalable production of ultrafine polyaniline fibres for tactile organic electrochemical transistors

The development of continuous conducting polymer fibres is essential for applications ranging from advanced fibrous devices to frontier fabric electronics. The use of continuous conducting polymer fibres requires a small diameter to maximize their electroactive surface, microstructural orientation, and mechanical strength. However, regularly used wet spinning techniques have rarely achieved this goal due primarily to the insufficient slenderization of rapidly solidified conducting polymer molecules in poor solvents. Here we report a good solvent exchange strategy to wet spin the ultrafine polyaniline fibres. The slow diffusion between good solvents distinctly decreases the viscosity of protofibers, which undergo an impressive drawing ratio. The continuously collected polyaniline fibres have a previously unattained diameter below 5 mu m, high energy and charge storage capacities, and favorable mechanical performance. We demonstrated an ultrathin all-solid organic electrochemical transistor based on ultrafine polyaniline fibres, which operated as a tactile sensor detecting pressure and friction forces at different levels. Strong, electroactive and ultrafine conducting polymer fibres are prepared at the large scale by a modified wet spinning strategy. The obtained ultrafine polyaniline fibres are qualified to build tactile organic electrochemical transistors.

Automated summary

This study introduced a good solvent exchange strategy to wet spin ultrafine polyaniline fibers with diameters below 5 µm, high energy and charge storage capacities, and favorable mechanical performance. These ultrafine polyaniline fibers are qualified to build tactile organic electrochemical transistors.