Biodegradable PEDOT:PSS/Clay Composites for Multifunctional Green-Electronic Materials

Plastics are now causing challenging environmental issues, especially electronic waste (E-waste) and microplastics. While no single solution exists to address all these complex problems, superworms' ingestion behavior toward plastics provides an innovative way to reduce plastic pollutions. Here, it is demonstrated that poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/montmorillonite (MMT) composites are biodegradable with versatile multifunctionalities originating from natural nacre-inspired layered nanostructures. While their physical performances are modulated interdependently, eco-biodegradability of the MMT/PEDOT:PSS composites are confirmed by the superworm's ingestion behaviors and their chemical changes after digestion. The electrically conductive composites with PEDOT:PSS also exhibit excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability, flame retardancy, long-term water stability, flexibility, and electrochemical properties. Combined with these inherent multifaceted properties, the eco-biodegradable features of the MMT/PEDOT:PSS composites open a new direction to use electronic materials for emerging eco-friendly applications, including green-electronics, bioelectronics, and edible-electronics.

Automated summary

Plastics, especially electronic waste and microplastics, are currently posing challenging environmental issues. Superworms' ingestion behavior towards plastics provides an innovative approach to reduce plastic pollution. The study demonstrates that the biodegradable MMT/PEDOT:PSS composites have versatile multifunctionalities and open up new possibilities for eco-friendly applications using electronic materials.