Production of Conductive PEDOT Nanofibers by the Combination of Electrospinning and Vapor-Phase Polymerization

Effect of pH Value on the Electrical Properties of PEDOT:PSS-Based Fiber Mats

Nanofiber mats containing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) hold potential for use in wearable electronic applications. Unfortunately, the use of PEDOT is often limited by the acidic nature of polystyrenesulfonate (PSS), a common dispersant for PEDOT. In this study, we explored the impact of increasing the pH value of PEDOT:PSS/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) precursors on the morphological and electrical properties of the resultant electrospun fibers. Specifically, electrospun nanofibers were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, bright-field microscopy, and two-point probe measurements. We discovered that neutral and even slightly basic PEDOT:PSS/PVA precursors could be electrospun without affecting the resultant electrical properties. While cross-linking effectively stabilized the fibers, their electrical properties decreased after exposure to solutions with pH values between 5 and 11, as well as with agitated soap washing tests. Additionally, we report that the fiber mats maintained their stability after more than 3000 cycles of voltage application. These findings suggest that PEDOT:PSS-based fibers hold potential for use in wearable textile and sensor applications, where long-term durability is needed.

From Nature to Technology: Exploring Bioinspired Polymer Actuators via Electrospinning

Nature has always been a source of inspiration for the development of novel materials and devices. In particular, polymer actuators that mimic the movements and functions of natural organisms have been of great interest due to their potential applications in various fields, such as biomedical engineering, soft robotics, and energy harvesting. During recent years, the development and actuation performance of electrospun fibrous meshes with the advantages of high permeability, surface area, and easy functional modification, has received extensive attention from researchers. This review covers the recent progress in the state-of-the-art electrospun actuators based on commonly used polymers such as stimuli-sensitive hydrogels, shape-memory polymers (SMPs), and electroactive polymers. The design strategies inspired by nature such as hierarchical systems, layered structures, and responsive interfaces to enhance the performance and functionality of these actuators, including the role of biomimicry to create devices that mimic the behavior of natural organisms, are discussed. Finally, the challenges and future directions in the field, with a focus on the development of more efficient and versatile electrospun polymer actuators which can be used in a wide range of applications, are addressed. The insights gained from this review can contribute to the development of advanced and multifunctional actuators with improved performance and expanded application possibilities.

PEDOT-Coated PLA Fibers Electrospun from Solutions Incorporating Fe(III)Tosylate in Different Solvents by Vapor-Phase Polymerization for Neural Regeneration

Therapeutic solutions for injuries in the peripheral nervous system are limited and not existing in the case of the central nervous system. The electrical stimulation of cells through a cell-supporting conductive scaffold may contribute to new therapeutic solutions for nerve regeneration. In this work, biocompatible Polylactic acid (PLA) fibrous scaffolds incorporating Fe(III)Tosylate (FeTos) were produced by electrospinning a mixture of PLA/FeTos solutions towards a rotating cylinder, inducing fiber alignment. Fibers were coated with the conductive polymer Poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) formed by vapor-phase polymerization of EDOT at 70 °C for 2 h. Different solvents (ETH, DMF and THF) were used as FeTos solvents to investigate the impact on the scaffold's conductivity. Scaffold conductivity was estimated to be as high as 1.50 × 10-1 S/cm when FeTos was dissolved in DMF. In vitro tests were performed to evaluate possible scaffold cytotoxicity, following ISO 10993-5, revealing no cytotoxic effects. Differentiation and growth of cells from the neural cell line SH-SY5Y seeded on the scaffolds were also assessed, with neuritic extensions observed in cells differentiated in neurons with retinoic acid. These extensions tended to follow the preferential alignment of the scaffold fibers.

Novel Electroactive Mineralized Polyacrylonitrile/PEDOT:PSS Electrospun Nanofibers for Bone Repair Applications

Bone defect repair remains a critical challenge in current orthopedic clinical practice, as the available therapeutic strategies only offer suboptimal outcomes. Therefore, bone tissue engineering (BTE) approaches, involving the development of biomimetic implantable scaffolds combined with osteoprogenitor cells and native-like physical stimuli, are gaining widespread interest. Electrical stimulation (ES)-based therapies have been found to actively promote bone growth and osteogenesis in both in vivo and in vitro settings. Thus, the combination of electroactive scaffolds comprising conductive biomaterials and ES holds significant promise in improving the effectiveness of BTE for clinical applications. The aim of this study was to develop electroconductive polyacrylonitrile/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PAN/PEDOT:PSS) nanofibers via electrospinning, which are capable of emulating the native tissue's fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) and providing a platform for the delivery of exogenous ES. The resulting nanofibers were successfully functionalized with apatite-like structures to mimic the inorganic phase of the bone ECM. The conductive electrospun scaffolds presented nanoscale fiber diameters akin to those of collagen fibrils and displayed bone-like conductivity. PEDOT:PSS incorporation was shown to significantly promote scaffold mineralization in vitro. The mineralized electroconductive nanofibers demonstrated improved biological performance as observed by the significantly enhanced proliferation of both human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells and human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (hBM-MSCs). Moreover, mineralized PAN/PEDOT:PSS nanofibers up-regulated bone marker genes expression levels of hBM-MSCs undergoing osteogenic differentiation, highlighting their potential as electroactive biomimetic BTE scaffolds for innovative bone defect repair strategies.

Stretchable Sensors: Novel Human Motion Monitoring Wearables

A human body monitoring system remains a significant focus, and to address the challenges in wearable sensors, a nanotechnology-enhanced strategy is proposed for designing stretchable metal-organic polymer nanocomposites. The nanocomposite comprises reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and in-situ generated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) within elastic electrospun polystyrene-butadiene-polystyrene (SBS) fibers. The resulting Sandwich Structure Piezoresistive Woven Nanofabric (SSPWN) is a tactile-sensitive wearable sensor with remarkable performance. It exhibits a rapid response time (less than three milliseconds) and high reproducible stability over 5500 cycles. The nanocomposite also demonstrates exceptional thermal stability due to effective connections between rGO and AgNPs, making it suitable for wearable electronic applications. Furthermore, the SSPWN is successfully applied to human motion monitoring, including various areas of the hand and RGB sensing shoes for foot motion monitoring. This nanotechnology-enhanced strategy shows promising potential for intelligent healthcare, health monitoring, gait detection, and analysis, offering exciting prospects for future wearable electronic products.

Functionalisation of Electrospun Cellulose Acetate Membranes with PEDOT and PPy for Electronic Controlled Drug Release

Controlled drug release via electrical stimulation from drug-impregnated fibres was studied using electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) membranes and encapsulated ibuprofen (IBU). This research outlines the influence of polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-functionalised CA membranes and their suitability for dermal electronic-controlled drug release. Micro Raman analysis confirmed polymer functionalisation of CA membranes and drug incorporation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images evidenced the presence of PPy and PEDOT coatings. The kinetic of drug release was analysed, and the passive and active release was compared. In the proposed systems, the drug release is controlled by very low electrical potentials. A potential of -0.3 V applied to membranes showed the ibuprofen retention, and a positive potential of +0.3 V, +0.5 V, or +0.8 V, depending on the conductive polymer and membrane configuration, enhanced the drug release. A small adhesive patch was constructed to validate this system for cutaneous application and verified an "ON/OFF" ibuprofen release pattern from membranes.

Electrospun Conducting Polymers: Approaches and Applications

Inherently conductive polymers (CPs) can generally be switched between two or more stable oxidation states, giving rise to changes in properties including conductivity, color, and volume. The ability to prepare CP nanofibers could lead to applications including water purification, sensors, separations, nerve regeneration, wound healing, wearable electronic devices, and flexible energy storage. Electrospinning is a relatively inexpensive, simple process that is used to produce polymer nanofibers from solution. The nanofibers have many desirable qualities including high surface area per unit mass, high porosity, and low weight. Unfortunately, the low molecular weight and rigid rod nature of most CPs cannot yield enough chain entanglement for electrospinning, instead yielding polymer nanoparticles via an electrospraying process. Common workarounds include co-extruding with an insulating carrier polymer, coaxial electrospinning, and coating insulating electrospun polymer nanofibers with CPs. This review explores the benefits and drawbacks of these methods, as well as the use of these materials in sensing, biomedical, electronic, separation, purification, and energy conversion and storage applications.

Biopolymer-based electrospun fibers in electrochemical devices: versatile platform for energy, environment, and health monitoring

Electrochemical power tools are regarded as essential keys in a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on fossil fuels in order to meet the challenges of rapidly depleting fossil fuel supplies. Additionally, due to the industrialization of societies and the growth of diseases, the need for sensitive, reliable, inexpensive, and portable sensors and biosensors for noninvasive monitoring of human health and environmental pollution is felt more than ever before. In recent decades, electrospun fibers have emerged as promising candidates for the fabrication of highly efficient electrochemical devices, such as actuators, batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and biosensors. Meanwhile, the use of synthetic polymers in the fabrication of versatile electrochemical devices has raised environmental concerns, leading to an increase in the quest for natural polymers. Natural polymers are primarily derived from microorganisms and plants. Despite the challenges of processing bio-based electrospun fibers, employing natural nanofibers in the fabrication of electrochemical devices has garnered tremendous attention in recent years. Here, various natural polymers and the strategies employed to fabricate various electrospun biopolymers are briefly covered. The recent advances and research strategies used to apply the bio-based electrospun membranes in different electrochemical devices are carefully summarized, along with the scopes in various advanced technologies. A comprehensive and critical discussion about the use of biopolymer-based electrospun fibers as the potential alternative to non-renewable ones in future technologies is briefly highlighted. This review will serve as a field opening platform for using different biopolymer-based electrospun fibers to advance the electrochemical device-based renewable and sustainable technologies, which will be of high interest to a large community. Accordingly, future studies should focus on feasible and cost-effective extraction of biopolymers from natural resources as well as fabrication of high-performance nanofibrous biopolymer-based components applicable in various electrochemical devices.

Real-time monitoring of serotonin with highly selective aptamer-functionalized conducting polymer nanohybrids

Adequate serotonin levels are pivotal to human well-being; thus, serotonin can be used as a biomarker because it regulates a wide range of physical and psychological functions. As an imbalance of serotonin is highly likely to initiate the pathogenesis of various disorders, monitoring serotonin levels in real time is in high demand for the early detection of disease. We fabricated a field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor based on aptamer-immobilized conducting polymer nanohybrids, which showed an instantaneous response toward serotonin in solution. The mechanism of serotonin detection was based on aptamer deformation after aptamer-ligand interaction and the consequential decrease in the charge carrier density of the FET template. Docking simulations with AutoDock/Vina and PyMOL were successfully used to investigate the binding site of serotonin in the loop structure of the aptamer. The fabricated FET template showed high sensitivity toward serotonin in the range of 10 fM to 100 nM, and the limit of detection (LOD) was exceptionally low at 10 fM. Moreover, the selectivity toward serotonin was confirmed by observing no signal after the injection of structural analogs, functional analogs and excess physiological biomolecules. The potential clinical application of this sensor was confirmed because it remained consistent when the buffer solution was exchanged for artificial serum or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). ^† S.G.L. and S.E.S. contributed equally to this work.

Recent Progress in Conducting Polymer Composite/Nanofiber-Based Strain and Pressure Sensors

The Conducting of polymers belongs to the class of polymers exhibiting excellence in electrical performances because of their intrinsic delocalized π- electrons and their tunability ranges from semi-conductive to metallic conductive regime. Conducting polymers and their composites serve greater functionality in the application of strain and pressure sensors, especially in yielding a better figure of merits, such as improved sensitivity, sensing range, durability, and mechanical robustness. The electrospinning process allows the formation of micro to nano-dimensional fibers with solution-processing attributes and offers an exciting aspect ratio by forming ultra-long fibrous structures. This review comprehensively covers the fundamentals of conducting polymers, sensor fabrication, working modes, and recent trends in achieving the sensitivity, wide-sensing range, reduced hysteresis, and durability of thin film, porous, and nanofibrous sensors. Furthermore, nanofiber and textile-based sensory device importance and its growth towards futuristic wearable electronics in a technological era was systematically reviewed to overcome the existing challenges.

Designing flexible, smart and self-sustainable supercapacitors for portable/wearable electronics: from conductive polymers

The rapid development of portable/wearable electronics proposes new demands for energy storage devices, which are flexibility, smart functions and long-time outdoor operation. Supercapacitors (SCs) show great potential in portable/wearable applications, and the recently developed flexible, smart and self-sustainable supercapacitors greatly meet the above demands. In these supercapacitors, conductive polymers (CPs) are widely applied due to their high flexibility, conductivity, pseudo-capacitance, smart characteristics and moderate preparation conditions. Herein, we'd like to introduce the CP-based flexible, smart and self-sustainable supercapacitors for portable/wearable electronics. This review first summarizes the flexible SCs based on CPs and their composites with carbon materials and metal compounds. The smart supercapacitors, i.e., electrochromic, electrochemical actuated, stretchable, self-healing and stimuli-sensitive ones, are then presented. The self-sustainable SCs which integrate SC units with energy-harvesting units in one compact configuration are also introduced. The last section highlights some current challenges and future perspectives of this thriving field.

Vapor-deposited functional polymer thin films in biological applications

Functional polymer coatings have become ubiquitous in biological applications, ranging from biomaterials and drug delivery to manufacturing-scale separation of biomolecules using functional membranes. Recent advances in the technology of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have enabled precise control of the polymer chemistry, coating thickness, and conformality. That comprehensive control of surface properties has been used to elicit desirable interactions at the interface between synthetic materials and living organisms, making vapor-deposited functional polymers uniquely suitable for biological applications. This review captures the recent technological development in vapor-deposited functional polymer coatings, highlighting their biological applications, including membrane-based bio-separations, biosensing and bio-MEMS, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. The conformal nature of vapor-deposited coatings ensures uniform coverage over micro- and nano-structured surfaces, allowing the independent optimization of surface and bulk properties. The substrate-independence of CVD techniques enables facile transfer of surface characteristics among different applications. The vapor-deposited functional polymer thin films tend to be biocompatible because they are free of remnant toxic solvents and precursor molecules, potentially lowering the barrier to clinical success.

Combining Electrospinning and Vapor-Phase Polymerization for the Production of Polyacrylonitrile/ Polypyrrole Core-Shell Nanofibers and Glucose Biosensor Application

In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber mats coated with conductive polypyrrole layers were produced at the surface of gold electrodes by a two-step approach combining electrospinning and vapor phase polymerization. In the first step, smooth and uniform PAN fibers exhibiting an average diameter of 650 ± 10 nm were generated through electrospinning of 12 wt% PAN solutions. The electrospun PAN fibers were impregnated with iron(III)tosylate (FeTos), annealed at 70°C and used as a robust and stable template for the growth of a thin layer of conductive polymer by co-polymerizing pyrrole (Py) and pyrrole-3-carboyxylic acid (Py3COOH) vapors under nitrogen atmosphere. The carboxyl groups introduced in polypyrrole coatings enabled further covalent binding of a model enzyme, glucose oxidase. The effect of different parameters (concentration of FeTos into the immersion solution, time of polymerization, Py/Py3COOH molar ratio) on the PAN/PPy/PPy3COOH/GOx impedimetric biosensor response was investigated. In the best conditions tested (immersion of the PAN fibers into 20 wt% FeTos solution, polymerization time: 30 min, 1:2 Py/Py3COOH ratio), the biosensor response was linear in a wide range of glucose concentration (20 nM−2μM) and selective toward ascorbic and uric acids. A very low limit of detection (2 nM) compared to those already reported in the literature was achieved. This value enables the determination of glucose in human serum after a large dilution of the sample (normal concentrations: 3.6 mM−6.1 mM range).

Improved Hydrophobicity of a Bacterial Cellulose Surface: Click Chemistry in Action

The vast application potentials of bacterial cellulose (BC)-based materials for developing leather-like materials, wound-healing materials and electronic materials have been realized very recently. Surface functionalization of these materials can help in improvement of certain properties such as water repellency, mechanical strength, and so forth. In this paper, we reported functionalization of BC surfaces using "click" polymerization for the first time. By this methodology, dense aromatic groups have been incorporated for the improvement of hydrophobicity. For comparative studies, various fluorine-based compounds have been introduced using conventional click reactions. The surface-modified BC materials have been confirmed by various spectroscopic methods. Particularly, the chemical structures of the materials were studied by solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the elemental composition of the materials. Moreover, the crystallite changes of modified BC surfaces were investigated by X-ray diffraction. Further, the changes in the morphology of the material after functionalization were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Finally, water contact angle measurement revealed manyfold increase in hydrophobicity after click polymerization. A video is also provided in the Supporting Information to show the application potential of this material for developing leather-like materials.

Conductive Electrospun Nanofiber Mats

Conductive nanofiber mats can be used in a broad variety of applications, such as electromagnetic shielding, sensors, multifunctional textile surfaces, organic photovoltaics, or biomedicine. While nanofibers or nanofiber from pure or blended polymers can in many cases unambiguously be prepared by electrospinning, creating conductive nanofibers is often more challenging. Integration of conductive nano-fillers often needs a calcination step to evaporate the non-conductive polymer matrix which is necessary for the electrospinning process, while conductive polymers have often relatively low molecular weights and are hard to dissolve in common solvents, both factors impeding spinning them solely and making a spinning agent necessary. On the other hand, conductive coatings may disturb the desired porous structure and possibly cause problems with biocompatibility or other necessary properties of the original nanofiber mats. Here we give an overview of the most recent developments in the growing field of conductive electrospun nanofiber mats, based on electrospinning blends of spinning agents with conductive polymers or nanoparticles, alternatively applying conductive coatings, and the possible applications of such conductive electrospun nanofiber mats.

Improved Alignment of PEDOT:PSS Induced by in-situ Crystallization of "Green" Dimethylsulfone Molecules to Enhance the Polymer Thermoelectric Performance

Dimethylsulfone (DMSO2), a small organic molecule, was observed to induce the alignment of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) via in-situ crystallization in PEDOT:PSS mixture, which was verified by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A chemically stable dopant, DMSO2, remarkably raised the electrical conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS film, which was fabricated from pre-mixed solution of PEDOT:PSS and DMSO2, up to 1080 S/cm, and more importantly, such a PEDOT:PSS film showed a long-term humidity stability and it retained near 90% electric conductivity after 60 days, suggesting DMSO2 is promising for an eco-friendly alternative to replace dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethylene glycol (EG) and various acids dopants that have been widely employed to dope and post-treat PEDOT:PSS. Pairwise interaction energies and free energy of solvation between PEDOT:PSS and DMSO2 were calculated by first-principles and molecular mechanics, respectively, revealing the mechanism of DMSO2 in enhancing the electrical conductivity.

Effect of molecular weight distribution of PSSA on electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is the most successful conductive polymer. In this study, we investigated the electrical properties of PEDOT:PSS prepared using poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSA) having different molecular weight distributions. Herein PSSA with different molecular weight distributions were successfully polymerized by free radical polymerization and atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Polydispersity index values of PSSA obtained by the free radical process and ATRP process were 2.3–2.8 and 1.2–1.6 respectively. The electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS was enhanced from 376 S cm⁻¹ (prepared using free radical PSSA) to 422 S cm⁻¹ (prepared using ATRP PSSA) when PSSA of Mn 35 000 g mol⁻¹ PSSA was used and was enhanced from 234 S cm⁻¹ (prepared using free radical PSSA) to 325 S cm⁻¹ (prepared using ATRP PSSA) when PSSA of Mn 55 000 g mol⁻¹ was used, by a factor of 15–30%. The greater the regularity of PSSA, the greater the packing density of PEDOT:PSS and consequently, charge carrier density. The improvement of packing density of PEDOT:PSS was confirmed by improvement in crystallinity of PEDOT:PSS by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is the most successful conductive polymer.

An amperometric glucose biosensor based on PEDOT nanofibers

A low cost, robust approach for the production of glucose biosensors was achieved via simple electrospinning and chemical vapor polymerization techniques.

Stretchable and Energy-Efficient Heating Carbon Nanotube Fiber by Designing a Hierarchically Helical Structure

Inspired by the hierarchically helical structure of classical thermal insulation material-wool, a stretchable heating carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber is created with excellent mechanical and heating properties. It can be stretched by up to 150% with high stability and reversibility, and a good thermal insulation is achieved from a large amount of formed hierarchically helical voids inside. Impressively, it exhibits ultrafast thermal response over 1000 °C s^-1 , low operation voltage of several volts, and high heating stability over 5000 cycles. These hierarchically helical CNT fibers, for the first time, are demonstrated as monofilaments to produce soft and lightweight textiles at a large scale with high heating performances.

Measuring the Pull-Off Force of an Individual Fiber Using a Novel Picoindenter/Scanning Electron Microscope Technique

We employed a novel picoindenter (PI)/scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique to measure the pull-off force of an individual electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) fibers. Individual fibers were deposited over a channel in a custom-designed silicon substrate, which was then attached to a picoindenter. The picoindenter was then positioned firmly on the sample stage of the SEM. The picoindenter tip laterally pushed individual fibers to measure the force required to detach it from the surface of substrate. SEM was used to visualize and document the process. The measured pull-off force ranged between 5.8 ± 0.2 μN to ~17.8 ± 0.2 μN for individual fibers with average diameter ranging from 0.8 to 2.3 μm. Thus, this study, a first of its kind, demonstrates the use of a picoindenter to measure the pull-off force of a single micro/nanofiber.

Facile hierarchical assembly of gold particle decorated conductive polymer nanofibers for electrochemical sensing

In this study, we successfully applied vapor-phase polymerization towards the synthesis of PEDOT nanofibers which were subsequently functionalized with gold particles and used as electrodes for electrochemical sensing. Two methods were used to synthesize the PEDOT nanofibers including (1) electrospinning followed by vapor-phase polymerization (EVP), and (2) one-step vapor-phase polymerization (OSVP). The average diameter of EVP fibers was approximately 350 nm, and OSVP was approximately 200 nm. Gold particles (∼500 nm) were synthesized by an oxidation-reduction reaction between gold precursors and residue EDOT monomers on the surface of the PEDOT nanofibers. In order to investigate the electrochemical performance of these electrodes, ascorbic acid was chosen as an analyte model. Our results indicated that PEDOT nanofiber electrodes showed an enhanced response with respect to bare gold electrodes. Furthermore, the OSVP PEDOT nanofibers with gold particles demonstrated the highest sensitivity at low ascorbic acid concentrations. These hierarchically assembled, gold particle-decorated, conductive polymer nanofibers were further fabricated into flexible electrodes, demonstrating a potential in advanced applications such as wearable electronics.

Synthesis of Continuous Conductive PEDOT:PSS Nanofibers by Electrospinning: A Conformal Coating for Optoelectronics

A process to synthesize continuous conducting nanofibers were developed using PEDOT:PSS as a conducting polymer and an electrospinning method. Experimental parameters were carefully explored to achieve reproducible conductive nanofibers synthesis in large quantities. In particular, relative humidity during the electrospinning process was proven to be of critical importance, as well as doping post-treatment involving glycols and alcohols. The synthesized fibers were assembled as a mat on glass substrates, forming a conductive and transparent electrode and their optoelectronic have been fully characterized. This method produces a conformable conductive and transparent coating that is well-adapted to nonplanar surfaces, having very large aspect ratio features. A demonstration of this property was made using surfaces having deep trenches and high steps, where conventional transparent conductive materials fail because of a lack of conformability.

Towards seamlessly-integrated textile electronics: methods to coat fabrics and fibers with conducting polymers for electronic applications

Traditional textile materials can be transformed into functional electronic components upon being dyed or coated with films of intrinsically conducting polymers, such as poly(aniline), poly(pyrrole) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene).

Self-Assembly Fabrication of Coaxial Te@poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Nanocables and Their Conversion to Pd@poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Nanocables with a High Peroxidase-like Activity

Here, we report a simple one-step procedure to fabricate coaxial Te@poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanocables via a self-assembly redox polymerization between 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene monomer and the oxidant of sodium tellurite without the assistance of any templates and surfactants. The as-synthesized Te@PEDOT coaxial nanocables have diameters of center cores in the range of 5-10 nm, and the size of the outer shell from several nanometers to 15 nm. More interestingly, the as-prepared Te@PEDOT nanocables can be converted to Pd@PEDOT nanocables via a galvanic replacement reaction. The center core of the Pd nanowire exhibits a high crystallinity. The application of the synthesized Pd@PEDOT nanocables as peroxidase-like catalysts for the colorimetric detection of H2O2 is reported. The synergistic effect between the Pd nanowire and electrically conducting PEDOT enhances the catalytic activity toward the oxidation of the peroxidase substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine in the presence of H2O2. A detection limit toward H2O2 is as low as 4.83 μM, and a linear range from 10 to 100 μM has been achieved. This work offers a potential versatile route for the fabrication of cable-like nanocomposites with conducting polymers and other active components, which display great promise in applications such as catalysis, nanoelectronic devices, and energy storage and conversion.

Effect of post-spinning on the electrical and electrochemical properties of wet spun graphene fibre

Effects of carbon nanotubes and/or conducting polymer on electrical and electrochemical properties of wet spun graphene fibres were demonstrated.

A multi-step template-assisted approach for the formation of conducting polymer nanotubes onto conducting polymer films

Hollow poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nano- and microtubes have been successfully prepared using an approach designed to overcome the limitations of the template-assisted approach.

Three-Dimensional BC/PEDOT Composite Nanofibers with High Performance for Electrode-Cell Interface

There is an increasing need to synthesize biocompatible nanofibers with excellent mechanical and electrical performance for electrochemical and biomedical applications. Here we report a facile approach to prepare electroactive and flexible 3D nanostructured biomaterials with high performance based on bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers. Our approach can coat BC nanofibers with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) by in situ interfacial polymerization in a controllable manner. The PEDOT coating thickness is adjustable by the monomer concentration or reaction time during polymerization, producing nanofibers with a total diameter ranging from 30 to 200 nm. This fabrication process also provides a convenient method to tune different parameters such as the average pore size and electrical conductivity on the demands of actual applications. Our experiments have demonstrated that the 3D BC/PEDOT nanofibers exhibit high specific surface area, excellent mechanical properties, electroactive stability, and low cell cytotoxicity. With electrical stimulation, calcium imaging of PC12 neural cells on BC/PEDOT nanofibers has revealed a significant increase in the percentage of cells with higher action potentials, suggesting an enhanced capacitance effect of charge injection. As an attractive solution to the challenge of designing better electrode-cell interfaces, 3D BC/PEDOT nanofibers promise many important applications such as biosensing devices, smart drug delivery systems, and implantable electrodes for tissue engineering.

Small-Area, Resistive Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Sensors Using Metal-Polymer Hybrid Film Based on Oxidative Chemical Vapor Deposition (oCVD)

We report a novel room temperature methanol sensor comprised of gold nanoparticles covalently attached to the surface of conducting copolymer films. The copolymer films are synthesized by oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD), allowing substrate-independent deposition, good polymer conductivity and stability. Two different oCVD copolymers are examined: poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-co-thiophene-3-aceticacid)[poly(EDOT-co-TAA)] and poly(3,4-ehylenedioxythiophene-co-thiophene-3-ethanol)[poly(EDOT-co-3-TE)]. Covalent attachment of gold nanoparticles to the functional groups of the oCVD films results in a hybrid system with efficient sensing response to methanol. The response of the poly(EDOT-co-TAA)/Au devices is found to be superior to that of the other copolymer, confirming the importance of the linker molecules (4-aminothiophenol) in the sensing behavior. Selectivity of the sensor to methanol over n-pentane, acetone, and toluene is demonstrated. Direct fabrication on a printed circuit board (PCB) is achieved, resulting in an improved electrical contact of the organic resistor to the metal circuitry and thus enhanced sensing properties. The simplicity and low fabrication cost of the resistive element, mild working temperature, together with its compatibility with PCB substrates pave the way for its straightforward integration into electronic devices, such as wireless sensor networks.

Conducting polymer transistors making use of activated carbon gate electrodes

The characteristics of the gate electrode have significant effects on the behavior of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), which are intensively investigated for applications in the booming field of organic bioelectronics. In this work, high specific surface area activated carbon (AC) was used as gate electrode material in OECTs based on the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS). We found that the high specific capacitance of the AC gate electrodes leads to high drain-source current modulation in OECTs, while their intrinsic quasi-reference characteristics make unnecessary the presence of an additional reference electrode to monitor the OECT channel potential.

3D bioelectronic interface: capturing circulating tumor cells onto conducting polymer-based micro/nanorod arrays with chemical and topographical control

The three-dimensional (3D) poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-based bioelectronic interfaces (BEIs) with diverse dimensional micro/nanorod array structures, varied surface chemical pro-perties, high electrical conductivity, reversible chemical redox switching, and high optical transparency are used for capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Such 3D PEDOT-based BEIs can function as an efficient clinical diagonstic and therapeutic platform.