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Highly Conductive, Flexible, and Robust Silver Nanowire-Embedded Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(Styrenesulfonate) Composite Films for Wearable Heaters and On-Skin Sensors

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Abstract

Highly conductive, flexible, and durable silver nanowire (AgNW)-embedded carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) (s-CMC/PEDOT:PSS) composite films were investigated for application in wearable heaters and on-skin sensors. The electrical conductivities of the CMC/PEDOT:PSS composites were optimized by controlling the PEDOT:PSS weight ratio in CMC, and the sheet resistance decreased significantly from 6828 (CMC:PEDOT:PSS = 1:5) to 83 Ω/sq (CMC:PEDOT:PSS = 1:17). Furthermore, AgNW networks were embedded onto the surface of the CMC/PEDOT:PSS films to further enhance their conductivity. The introduction of AgNW networks resulted in a significant decrease in the sheet resistance of the composites from 81 to 7 Ω/sq. In addition, the s-CMC/PEDOT:PSS composite film exhibited high mechanical stability in repeated bending tests. The uniformly distributed AgNWs inside the composites enhanced the electrical contact between the conducting PEDOT:PSS domains in the CMC matrix. Based on the highly conductive, flexible, and robust s-CMC/PEDOT:PSS composite films, high-performance wearable heating devices and on-skin sensors were fabricated. The wearable heater achieves a high temperature of 159.5 ℃ with uniform temperature distribution. Furthermore, on-skin sensors with s-CMC/PEDOT:PSS composites were conformably integrated on human skin which successfully detected various human motions, including finger bending, wrist bending, skin touch, ankle motions, and walking in real-time. The sensors exhibit high sensing performance with high sensitivity, conformability, superior mechanical robustness, and low power consumption. The high-performance s-CMC/PEDOT:PSS composite film could be a promising flexible and conductive composite material with new opportunities in next-generation electronics.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (Grant No. 2E30470), the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Ko-rea government (MSIT) (No. 2021R1A2C1094308 and No. 2022R1A5A8023404), and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2021R1A6A3A01087030).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Industry-University Cooperation Foundation, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, Republic of Korea

    Joo Won Han

  2. Department of Smart Green Technology Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, Republic of Korea

    Ajeng Prameswati, Siti Aisyah Nurmaulia Entifar, Jung Ha Kim, Anky Fitrian Wibowo, Jihyun Park & Yong Hyun Kim

  3. Department of Creative Convergence Engineering, Hanbat National University, Daejon, 34158, Republic of Korea

    Jonghee Lee

  4. Surface Technology Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon-daero 797, Changwon, 51508, Republic of Korea

    Soyeon Kim & Dong Chan Lim

  5. Department of Materials and Life Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea

    Myoung-Woon Moon & Min-Seok Kim

  6. School of Electrical Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, Republic of Korea

    Yong Hyun Kim

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  1. Joo Won Han
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Han, J.W., Prameswati, A., Entifar, S.A.N. et al. Highly Conductive, Flexible, and Robust Silver Nanowire-Embedded Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(Styrenesulfonate) Composite Films for Wearable Heaters and On-Skin Sensors. Electron. Mater. Lett. 18, 532–539 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-022-00365-5

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