A Highly Conducting Polymer for Self-Healable, Printable, and Stretchable Organic Electrochemical Transistor Arrays and Near Hysteresis-Free Soft Tactile Sensors

A stretchable and self-healable conductive material with high conductivity is critical to high-performance wearable electronics and integrated devices for applications where large mechanical deformation is involved. While there has been great progress in developing stretchable and self-healable conducting materials, it remains challenging to concurrently maintain and recover such functionalities before and after healing. Here, a highly stretchable and autonomic self-healable conducting film consisting of a conducting polymer (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate), PEDOT:PSS) and a soft-polymer (poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid), PAAMPSA) is reported. The optimal film exhibits outstanding stretchability as high as 630% and high electrical conductivity of 320 S cm(-1), while possessing the ability to repair both mechanical and electrical breakdowns when undergoing severe damage at ambient conditions. This polymer composite film is further utilized in a tactile sensor, which exhibits good pressure sensitivity of 164.5 kPa(-1), near hysteresis-free, an ultrafast response time of 19 ms, and excellent endurance over 1500 consecutive presses. Additionally, an integrated 5 x 4 stretchable and self-healable organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) array with great device performance is successfully demonstrated. The developed stretchable and autonomic self-healable conducting film significantly increases the practicality and shelf life of wearable electronics, which in turn, reduces maintenance costs and build-up of electronic waste.

Automated summary

This study reports a highly stretchable and autonomic self-healable conducting film that exhibits outstanding stretchability, high electrical conductivity, and the ability to repair mechanical and electrical breakdowns. The film is utilized in a tactile sensor and an organic electrochemical transistor array, improving the practicality and shelf life of wearable electronics.