A review on electronically conducting polymers for lithium-sulfur battery and lithium-selenium battery:Progress and prospects

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries and lithium-selenium(Li-Se) batteries,as environmental protection energy storage systems with outstanding theoretical specific capacities and high energy densities,have become the hotspots of current researches.Besides,elemental S(Se) raw materials are widely sourced and their production costs are both low,which make them considered one of the new generations of high energy density electrochemical energy storage systems with the most potential for development.However,poor conductivity of elemental S/Se and the notorious "shuttle effect" of lithium polysulfides(polyselenides) severely hinder the commercialization of Li-S/Se batteries.Thanks to the excellent electrical conductivity and strong absorption of lithium polysulfide(polyselenide) about electronically conducting polymer,some of the above thorny problems have been effectively alleviated.The review presents the fundamental studies and current development trends of common electronically conducting polymers in various components of Li-S/Se batteries,which involves polyaniline(PANI) polypyrrole(PPy),and polythiophene(PTh) with its derivatives,e.g.polyethoxythiophene(PEDOT) and poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS).Finally,the review not only summarizes the research directions and challenges facing the application of electronically conducting polymers,but also looks forward to the development prospects of them,which will provide a way for the practical use of electronically conducting polymers in Li-S/Se batteries with outstanding electrochemical properties in the short run.

Solution-processed wafer-scale nanoassembly of conducting polymers enables selective ultratrace nerve agent detection at low power

There is a great interest in developing microelectronic devices based on nanostructured conducting polymers that can selectively electro-couple analytes at high sensitivity and low power.Nanostructured conducting polymers have emerged as promising candidates for this technology due to their excellent stability with low redox potential,high conductivity,and selectivity endowed by chemical functionalization.However,it remains challenging to develop cost-effective and large-scale assembly approaches for functionalized conducting polymers in the practical fabrication of electronic devices.Here,we reported a straightforward waferscale assembly of nanostructured hexafluoroisopropanol functionalized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT-HFIP)on smooth substrates.This approach is template-free,solution-processed,and adaptable to conductive and nonconductive substrates.By this approach,the nanostructured PEDOT-HFIPs could be easily integrated onto interdigitated electrodes with intimate ohmic contact.At the optimized space-to-volume ratio,we demonstrated a low-power,sensitive,and selective nerve agent sensing technology using this platform by detecting sarin vapor with a limit of detection(LOD)of 10 ppb and signal strength of 400 times the water interference at the same concentration,offering significant advantages over existing similar technologies.We envision that its easy scale-up,micro size,small power consumption,and combination of high sensitivity and selectivity make it attractive for various wearable platforms.

Chemically revised conducting polymers with inflammation resistance for intimate bioelectronic electrocoupling

Conducting polymers offer attractive mixed ionic-electronic conductivity,tunable interfacial barrier with metal,tissue matchable softness,and versatile chemical functionalization,making them robust to bridge the gap between brain tissue and electronic circuits.This review focuses on chemically revised conducting polymers,combined with their superior and controllable electrochemical performance,to fabricate long-term bioelectronic implants,addressing chronic immune responses,weak neuron attraction,and long-term electrocommunication instability challenges.Moreover,the promising progress of zwitterionic conducting polymers in bioelectronic implants(≥4 weeks stable implantation)is highlighted,followed by a comment on their current evolution toward selective neural coupling and reimplantable function.Finally,a critical forward look at the future of zwitterionic conducting polymers for in vivo bioelectronic devices is provided.

Ignition processes and characteristics of charring conductive polymers with a cavity geometry in precombustion chamber for applications in micro/nano satellite hybrid rocket motors

The arc ignition system based on charring polymers has advantages of simple structure,low ignition power consumption and multiple ignitions,which bringing it broadly application prospect in hybrid propulsion system of micro/nano satellite.However,charring polymers alone need a relatively high input voltage to achieve pyrolysis and ignition,which increases the burden and cost of the power system of micro/nano satellite in practical application.Adding conductive substance into charring polymers can effectively decrease the conducting voltage which can realize low voltage and low power consumption repeated ignition of arc ignition system.In this paper,a charring conductive polymer ignition grain with a cavity geometry in precombustion chamber,which is composed of PLA and multiwall carbon nanotubes(MWCNT)was proposed.The detailed ignition processes were analyzed and two different ignition mechanisms in the cavity of charring conductive polymers were revealed.The ignition characteristics of charring conductive polymers were also investigated at different input voltages,ignition grain structures,ignition locations and injection schemes in a visual ignition combustor.The results demonstrated that the ignition delay and external energy required for ignition were inversely correlated with the voltages applied to ignition grain.Moreover,the incremental depth of cavity shortened the ignition delay and external energy required for ignition while accelerated the propagation of flame.As the depth of cavity increased from 2 to 6 mm(at 50 V),the time of flame propagating out of ignition grain changed from 235.6 to 108 ms,and values of mean ignition delay time and mean external energy required for ignition decreased from 462.8 to 320 ms and 16.2 to 10.75 J,respectively.The rear side of the cavity was the ideal ignition position which had a shorter ignition delay and a faster flame propagation speed in comparison to other ignition positions.Compared to direct injection scheme,swirling injection provided a more favorable flow field environment in the cavity,which was beneficial to ignition and initial flame propagation,but the ignition position needed to be away from the outlet of swirling injector.At last,the repeated ignition characteristic of charring conductive polymers was also investigated.The ignition delay time and external energy required for ignition decreased with repeated ignition times but the variation was decreasing gradually.

Nanoscale engineering of conducting polymers for emerging applications in soft electronics

Soft electronics featuring exceptional mechanical compliance and excellent electrical performance hold great promise for applications in soft robotics,artificial intelligence,bio-integrated electronics,and wearable electronics.Intrinsically stretchable and conductive materials are crucial for soft electronics,enabling large-area and scalable fabrication,high device density,and good mechanical compliance.Conducting polymers are inherently stretchable and conductive.They can be precisely synthesized from vastly available building blocks,and thus they provide a fruitful platform for fabricating soft electronics.However,amorphous bulk-phase conducting polymers typically exhibit poor mechanical and electrical characteristics.Consequently,it is highly desirable to develop novel engineering approaches to overcome the intrinsic limitations of conducting polymers.In recent years,numerous engineering strategies have been developed to enhance their performances in soft electronic devices via constructing various nanostructures.In this review,we first summarize several unique methodologies to fabricate conducting polymer-based nanostructures.We then discuss how nanoscale engineering approaches can improve several crucial parameters,including electrical conductivity,stretchability,sensitivity,and self-healing property of conducting polymers.Moreover,we also discuss device-level integration of conducting polymer-based nanostructures with other materials for applications in skin-inspired electronics and bio-integrated electronics.Finally,we provide perspectives on challenges and future directions in engineering nanostructured conducting polymers for soft electronics.

Enhanced Growth and Redox Characteristics of Some Conducting Polymers on Carbon Nanotube Modified Electrodes

1 Results Recent studies on the electrochemistry of a number of active compounds at carbon nanotube electrodes have proved beyond doubt their excellent electrocatalytic properties.Particularly,the advancements accomplished towards the functionalization of carbon nanotubes resulting in their enhanced solubilization in aqueous solutions have helped in the preparation of stable carbon nanotube electrodes.Glassy carbon has been invariably the preferred substrate for casting carbon nanotube electrodes.Such c...

Application of intrinsically conducting polymers in flexible electronics

Intrinsically conducting polymers(ICPs),such as polyacetylene,polyaniline,polypyrrole,polythiophene,and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT),can have important application in flexible electronics owing to their unique merits including high conductivity,high mechanical flexibility,low cost,and good biocompatibility.The requirements for their application in flexible electronics include high conductivity and appropriate mechanical properties.The conductivity of some ICPs can be enhanced through a postpolymerization treatment,the so-called“secondary doping.”A conducting polymer film with high conductivity can be used as flexible electrode and even as flexible transparent electrode of optoelectronic devices.The application of ICPs as stretchable electrode requires high mechanical stretchability.The mechanical stretchability of ICPs can be improved through blending with a soft polymer or plasticization.Because of their good biocompatibility,ICPs can be modified as dry electrode for biopotential monitoring and neural interface.In addition,ICPs can be used as the active material of strain sensors for healthcare monitoring,and they can be adopted to monitor food processing,such as the fermentation,steaming,storage,and refreshing of starch-based food because of the resistance variation caused by the food volume change.All these applications of ICPs are covered in this review article.

Vapor Phase Polymerization Deposition Conducting Polymer Nanocomposites on Porous Dielectric Surface as High Performance Electrode Materials

We report chemical vapor phase polymerization(VPP) deposition of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT) and PEDOT/graphene on porous dielectric tantalum pentoxide(Ta_2O_5) surface as cathode films for solid tantalum electrolyte capacitors. The modified oxidant/oxidant-graphene films were first deposited on Ta_2O_5 by dip-coating, and VPP process was subsequently utilized to transfer oxidant/oxidant-graphene into PEDOT/PEDOT-graphene films. The SEM images showed PEDOT/PEDOT-graphene films was successfully constructed on porous Ta_2O_5 surface through VPP deposition, and a solid tantalum electrolyte capacitor with conducting polymer-graphene nano-composites as cathode films was constructed. The high conductivity nature of PEDOT-graphene leads to resistance decrease of cathode films and lower contact resistance between PEDOT/graphene and carbon paste. This nano-composite cathode films based capacitor showed ultralow equivalent series resistance(ESR) ca. 12 m? and exhibited excellent capacitance-frequency performance, which can keep 82% of initial capacitance at 500 KHz. The investigation on leakage current revealed that the device encapsulation process has no influence on capacitor leakage current, indicating the excellent mechanical strength of PEDOT/PEDOT-gaphene films. This high conductivity and mechanical strength of graphene-based polymer films shows promising future for electrode materials such as capacitors, organic solar cells and electrochemical energy storage devices.

Highly Elastic,Bioresorbable Polymeric Materials for Stretchable,Transient Electronic Systems

Substrates or encapsulants in soft and stretchable formats are key components for transient,bioresorbable electronic systems;however,elastomeric polymers with desired mechanical and biochemical properties are very limited compared to nontransient counterparts.Here,we introduce a bioresorbable elastomer,poly(glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone)(PGCL),that contains excellent material properties including high elongation-at-break(<1300%),resilience and toughness,and tunable dissolution behaviors.Exploitation of PGCLs as polymer matrices,in combination with conducing polymers,yields stretchable,conductive composites for degradable interconnects,sensors,and actuators,which can reliably function under external strains.Integration of device components with wireless modules demonstrates elastic,transient electronic suture system with on-demand drug delivery for rapid recovery of postsurgical wounds in soft,time-dynamic tissues.

Recent progress and future research directions for electrochromic zinc-ion batteries

In recent times,future energy storage systems demand a multitude of functionalities beyond their traditional energy storage capabilities.In line with this technological shift,there is active research and development of electrochromic-energy storage systems designed to visualize electrochemical charging and discharging processes.The conventional electrochromic-energy storage devices primarily integrated supercapacitors,known for their high power density,to enable rapid color contrast.However,the low energy density of supercapacitors restricts overall energy storage capacity,acting as a significant barrier to expanding the application range of such systems.In this review,we introduce electrochromic zinc(Zn)-ion battery systems,which effectively overcome the limitation of low energy density,and provide illustrative examples of their applicability across diverse fields.Although many recent research works are present for electrochromic Zn-ion batteries,little review has so far taken place.Our objective is to discuss on the current progress and future directions for electrochromic Zn-ion batteries,which are applicable for wearable electronics applications and energy storage systems.This review provides an initial milestone for future researchers in electrochromic energy storage and zinc-ion batteries,which will lead to a stream of future works related to them.

Electrochemical Impedance Analysis of Biofunctionalized Conducting Polymer-Modified Graphene-CNTs Nanocomposite for Protein Detection

We report an electrodeposited poly(pyrrole-co-pyrrolepropylic acid) copolymer modified electroactive graphene-carbon nanotubes composite deposited on a glassy carbon electrode to detect the protein antigen(cTnI). The copolymer provides pendant carboxyl groups for the site-specific covalent immobilization of protein antibody, antitroponin I. The hybrid nanocomposite was used as a transducer for biointerfacial impedance sensing for cTnI detection.The results show that the hybrid exhibits a pseudo capacitive behaviour with a maximum phase angle of 49° near 1 Hz,which is due to the inhomogeneous and porous structure of the hybrid composition. The constant phase element of copolymer is 0.61(n = 0.61), whereas, it is 0.88(n = 0.88) for the hybrid composites, indicating a comparatively homogeneous microstructure after biomolecular functionalization. The transducer shows a linear change in charge transfer characteristic(R_(et)) on cTnI immunoreaction for spiked human serum in the concentration range of 1.0 pg mL^(-1)–10.0 ng mL^(-1). The sensitivity of the transducer is 167.8 ± 14.2 Ω cm^2 per decade, and it also exhibits high specificity and good reproducibility.

PEDOT:PSS:From conductive polymers to sensors

PEDOT:PSS conductive polymers have received tremendous attention over the last two decades owing to their high conductivity,ease of processing,and biocompatibility.As a flexible versatile material,PEDOT:PSS can be developed into various forms and has had a significant impact on emerging sensing applications.This review covers the development of PEDOT:PSS from material to physical sensors.We focus on the morphology of PEDOT:PSS in the forms of aqueous dispersions,solid films,and hydrogels.Manufacturing processes are summarized,including coating,printing,and lithography,and there is particular emphasis on nanoimprinting lithography that enables the production of PEDOT:PSS nanowires with superior sensing performance.Applications to various physical sensors,for humidity,temperature,pressure,and strain,are demonstrated.Finally,we discuss the challenges and propose new directions for the development of PEDOT:PSS.

Recent progress in design of conductive polymers to improve the thermoelectric performance

Organic semiconductors,especially polymer semiconductors,have attracted extensive attention as organic thermoelectric materials due to their capabilities for flexibility,low-cost fabrication,solution processability and low thermal conductivity.However,it is challenging to obtain high-performance organic thermoelectric materials because of the low intrinsic carrier concentration of organic semiconductors.The main method to control the carrier concentration of polymers is the chemical doping process by charge transfer between polymer and dopant.Therefore,the deep understanding of doping mechanisms from the point view of chemical structure has been highly desired to overcome the bottlenecks in polymeric thermoelectrics.In this contribution,we will briefly review the recently emerging progress for discovering the structure–property relationship of organic thermoelectric materials with high performance.Highlights include some achievements about doping strategies to effectively modulate the carrier concentration,the design rules of building blocks and side chains to enhance charge transport and improve the doping efficiency.Finally,we will give our viewpoints on the challenges and opportunities in the field of polymer thermoelectric materials.

The Influence of the Constitution of Acrylate Copolymers on Electrochromic Properties of Their PAn Composite Coatings

Several polyacrylate matrixes were prepared with monomers such as methyl methacrylate, KH-570, acrylic acid and butyl acrylate, and the electrochromic behavior of their soluble PAn composite coatings was also studied by electrochemical analysis and spectrophotometry. It shows that the constitution of the polymer matrixes have great effects on the electrochromic process and the color change of the composite coatings. When the matrix consists of acrylic acid unit, PAn of both interior and exterior composite possesses the same electrochemical reactivity, shorter responding time and wider color-changing range. But it is contrary when matrixes contain no acrylic acid. Furthermore, the composite containing acrylic acid units has still electrochemical reactivity in distilled water instead of LiCIO,-PC electrolyte.

Characteristics and Application of Conducting Polymer Sensor

Conducting polymers sensors have been very interesting that it can detect wide variety of functionalities,however these materials have to solve humidity contaminant,poor reversibility and selectivity.To improve this problems,we investigated pretreatment such as soaking in methanol and thermal treatment in N_2.This process improved stability, reversibility and response time and recovery time.To overcome humidity contaminant coated hydrophobic polymer was reduced above 50% at RH10%.For sensor array structure was fabricated for enhancing selectivity of gas vapor.Conducting polymer sensor array had several application in environmental and medical science the method of principal component analysis.

Synthesis and Characterization of Small Band-gap Conjugated Polymers - Poly(pyrrolyl methines)

A kind of small band-gap conjugated polymers-poly (pyrrolyl methines) and their precursors-(poly pyrrolyl methanes) have been synthesized by a simple method and characterized by 1HNMR, FT-IR, TGA and UV-Vis. These polymers can be dissolved in high polar solvents such as DMSO, DMF or NMP. The results reveals that the band-gap of the synthesized conjugated polymers are in the range of 0.96~1.14 eV and they all belong to the small band-gap polymers. The conductivity of doped products with iodine is in the range of semiconductor.

Flexible Polydimethylsiloxane Composite with Multi-Scale Conductive Network for Ultra-Strong Electromagnetic Interference Protection

Highly conductive polymer composites(CPCs) with excellent mechanical flexibility are ideal materials for designing excellent electromagnetic interference(EMI) shielding materials,which can be used for the electromagnetic interference protection of flexible electronic devices.It is extremely urgent to fabricate ultra-strong EMI shielding CPCs with efficient conductive networks.In this paper,a novel silver-plated polylactide short fiber(Ag@PL ASF,AAF) was fabricated and was integrated with carbon nanotubes(CNT) to construct a multi-scale conductive network in polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) matrix.The multi-scale conductive network endowed the flexible PDMS/AAF/CNT composite with excellent electrical conductivity of 440 S m-1and ultra-strong EMI shielding effectiveness(EMI SE) of up to 113 dB,containing only 5.0 vol% of AAF and 3.0 vol% of CNT(11.1wt% conductive filler content).Due to its excellent flexibility,the composite still showed 94% and 90% retention rates of EMI SE even after subjected to a simulated aging strategy(60℃ for 7 days) and 10,000 bending-releasing cycles.This strategy provides an important guidance for designing excellent EMI shielding materials to protect the workspace,environment and sensitive circuits against radiation for flexible electronic devices.

Wearable and stretchable conductive polymer composites for strain sensors:How to design a superior one?

Wearable and stretchable strain sensors have potential values in the fields of human motion and health monitoring,flexible electronics,and soft robotic skin.The wearable and stretchable strain sensors can be directly attached to human skin,providing visualized detection for human motions and personal healthcare.Conductive polymer composites(CPC)composed of conductive fillers and flexible polymers have the advantages of high stretchability,good flexibility,superior durability,which can be used to prepare flexible strain sensors with large working strain and outstanding sensitivity.This review has put forward a comprehensive summary on the fabrication methods,advanced mechanisms and strain sensing abilities of CPC strain sensors reported in recent years,especially the sensors with superior performance.Finally,the structural design,bionic function,integration technology and further application of CPC strain sensors are prospected.

Conductive Biomaterials as Bioactive Wound Dressing for Wound Healing and Skin Tissue Engineering

Conductive biomaterials based on conductive polymers,carbon nanomaterials,or conductive inorganic nanomaterials demonstrate great potential in wound healing and skin tissue engineering,owing to the similar conductivity to human skin,good antioxidant and antibacterial activities,electrically controlled drug delivery,and photothermal effect.However,a review highlights the design and application of conductive biomaterials for wound healing and skin tissue engineering is lacking.In this review,the design and fabrication methods of conductive biomaterials with various structural forms including film,nanofiber,membrane,hydrogel,sponge,foam,and acellular dermal matrix for applications in wound healing and skin tissue engineering and the corresponding mechanism in promoting the healing process were summarized.The approaches that conductive biomaterials realize their great value in healing wounds via three main strategies(electrotherapy,wound dressing,and wound assessment)were reviewed.The application of conductive biomaterials as wound dressing when facing different wounds including acute wound and chronic wound(infected wound and diabetic wound)and for wound monitoring is discussed in detail.The challenges and perspectives in designing and developing multifunctional conductive biomaterials are proposed as well.