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Highly Deformable Rigid Glassy Conjugated Polymeric Thin Films (in EN)

Journal Article · · Advanced Functional Materials
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [1];  [4];  [5];  [1]
  1. University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS (United States)
  2. Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II); University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble (France); Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Grenoble (France). Laboratoire d'Électronique des Technologies de l'Information (LETI)
  3. North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND (United States)
  4. National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City (Taiwan)
  5. North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND (United States); Iowa State University, Ames, IA (United States)
Wearable devices benefit from the use of stretchable conjugated polymers (CPs). Traditionally, the design of stretchable CPs is based on the assumption that a low elastic modulus (E) is crucial for achieving high stretchability. However, this research, which analyzes the mechanical properties of 65 CP thin films, challenges this notion. It is discovered that softness alone does not determine stretchability; rather, it is the degree of entanglement that is critical. This means that rigid CPs can also exhibit high stretchability, contradicting conventional wisdom. To inverstigate further, the mechanical behavior, electrical properties, and deformation mechanism of two model CPs: a glassy poly(3-butylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3BT) with an E of 2.2 GPa and a viscoelastic poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3OT) with an E of 86 MPa, are studied. Ex situ transmission X-ray scattering and polarized UV–vis spectroscopy revealed that only the initial strain (i.e., <20%) exhibits different chain alignment mechanisms between two polymers, while both rigid and soft P3ATs showed similarly behavior at larger strains. In conclusion, by challenging the conventional design metric of low E for high stretchability and highlighting the importance of entanglement, it is hoped to broaden the range of CPs available for use in wearable devices.
Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States); Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; SC0012704; SC0022050
OSTI ID:
2575746
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1994020
Journal Information:
Advanced Functional Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Functional Materials Journal Issue: 50 Vol. 33; ISSN 1616-3028; ISSN 1616-301X
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
EN

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