Hybrid Nanoarchitectonics with Conductive Polymer-Coated Regenerated Cellulose Fibers for Green Electronics
Goomin Kwon, Kangyun Lee, Youngho Jeon, Minseok Jeong, Jeonghun Kim, Jungmok You
Abstract
Green electronics based on biodegradable polymers have received considerable attention as a solution to electronic waste (e-waste). Herein, we describe an efficient approach to constructing green conductive fibers, comprising poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and regenerated cellulose (RC), via a wet-spinning process and vapor-phase polymerization (VPP). Eco-friendly RC fibers were prepared as a support layer by wet spinning, and the conductive PEDOT layers were coated onto the surface of the RC fibers by the oxidation of EDOT monomers. We demonstrated that the vapor-phase-polymerized PEDOT/RC composite fibers (PEDOT/RC-VPP) exhibited approximately 17 times higher electrical conductivity (198.2 ± 7.3 S/cm), compared with that of the solution-phase-polymerized PEDOT/RC composite fibers (PEDOT/RC-SPP, 11.6 ± 0.6 S/cm). Importantly, PEDOT/RC-VPP exhibited a high tensile strength of 181 MPa, good flexibility, and long-standing electrical stability under ambient air conditions. Moreover, the obtained PEDOT/RC-VPP under 50% strain turned on a green light-emitting diode (LED), indicating the flexibility and stability of green conductive fibers. This strategy can be easily integrated into various electronic textiles for the development of next-generation wearable green electronics.