Zonyl FS-300 is a water-based nonionic surfactant that does not contain any organic solvents. It is compatible with any other ionic surfactant and is not affected by polyvalent cations in solution.
The physical properties of existing materials are getting closer to meeting the requirements of various electronic applications. In addition to being bendable, the ability to stretch requires a high degree of consistency with soft materials. Considering that body tissues are mechanically heterogeneous composed of soft cells and hard bones, their strain ranges are wide. Therefore, future wearable bio/electronics should combine high electrical conductivity and mechanical compliance. On the other hand, some materials can exhibit intrinsic elastic behavior through the addition of elastomers or surfactants.
All optoelectronic devices contain a common component, the transparent conductive electrode (TCE). Poly(3,4-eth ylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is a promising TCE candidate material, while polyethylene oxide (PEO) has excellent electromechanical response. Therefore, some researchers have combined PEDOT:PSS and PEO precursors to achieve stretchable TCEs. The researchers achieved this goal using polyethylene glycol methacrylate and the surfactant Zonyl FS300. Zonyl FS300 is necessary to promote the adhesion of PEDOT:PSS on hydrophobic substrate surfaces, and it also has a plasticizing effect on the mechanical properties of the base material. The obtained PEDOT:PSS/PEO electrode system has properties such as conductivity and transparency. The technical potential of this transparent electrode technology is demonstrated with applications in mechanically robust organic solar cells and skin strain sensors.
A PSS electrode was developed using two additives, Zonyl FS300 and PEO. The study found that the addition of Zonyl FS300 improved the mechanical properties of the electrode and the processing performance of the electrode on the elastic substrate. On the other hand, the addition of PEO precursor improved the conductivity and elasticity of PEDOT:PSS electrode.
In order to evaluate the potential of the electrode for practical applications, the electrode was applied to an organic solar cell, and the cell showed good operating characteristics, including high short-circuit current (JSC = 20 mA cm2), open circuit voltage (VOC = 0.81 V), filling factor ( FF = 65.9) and maximum PCE 11.9%. Furthermore, the dependence of electrical resistance on the strain-induced morphological changes of PEDOT:PSSbased electrodes was explored to build a prototype strain sensor characterized using repeated manual and mechanically assisted movements. Various data indicate that PEDOT:pss-based electrodes may be widely used in the emerging field of stretchable electronics.
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Reference
- Stretchable and Transparent Conductive PEDOT:PSS-Based Electrodes for Organic Photovoltaics and Strain Sensors Applications
Advanced Functional Materials 30.28 (2020): 2001251.
