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Synthesis of stretchable and self-healable conductive polymer based on poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene)

Wearable electronics has attracted considerable attention for use in electronic skin and health monitoring systems for comfortable and safe living. They are tunable at the molecular level, easy to process, mechanically flexible, and can form nanoscale structures through supramolecular, self-assembling bottom-up patterning. Hydrogen bonds are particularly well suited for skin- inspired electronics due to their spontaneous formation and healing ability. These non-covalent crosslinks can undergo an energy dissipation mechanism upon strain by breaking the bonds. After the stress is removed, the bonds can be reformed to restore the original mechanical property and heal themselves. The aim of this study was to synthesise an intrinsically stretchable and healable conductive polymer (CP) by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). For this purpose, poly(3, 4- ethyilenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was synthesised as a backbone, while poly(acrylate-urethane) (PAU) was used to graft onto the CPs backbones to form graft polymers PEDOT-g-PAU. Hydrogen bonds between the PAU side chains provide stretchability and self-healing, while the PEDOT backbone retains its high charge capabilities. Characterization of the obtained intermediates and products (PEDOT g PAU) was carried out using different techniques. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the success of the synthesis of all intermediates as well as the PEDOT-g-PAU product itself. PEDOT- g-PAU has shown the ability to stretch by more than 500%, which is shown in Figure 1, and therefore could potentially be used in wearable electronics.

conducting polymer, graft copolymer, poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene), acrylate urethane, wearable electronics

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