Continuous production of ultratough semiconducting polymer fibers with high electronic performance

Abstract

Conjugated polymers have demonstrated promising optoelectronic properties, but their brittleness and poor mechanical characteristics have hindered their fabrication into durable fibers and textiles. Here, we report a universal approach to continuously producing highly strong, ultratough conjugated polymer fibers using a flow-enhanced crystallization (FLEX) method. These fibers exhibit one order of magnitude higher tensile strength (>200 megapascals) and toughness (>80 megajoules per cubic meter) than traditional semiconducting polymer fibers and films, outperforming many synthetic fibers, ready for scalable production. These fibers also exhibit unique strain-enhanced electronic properties and exceptional performance when used as stretchable conductors, thermoelectrics, transistors, and sensors. This work not only highlights the influence of fluid mechanical effects on the crystallization and mechanical properties of conjugated polymers but also opens up exciting possibilities for integrating these functional fibers into wearable electronics.

Mechanomaterials and Nanomechanics: Toward Proactive Design of Material Properties and Functionalities

“…Currently, there is an urgent need for materials with designed or targeted properties and functionalities, − driven by the increasingly stringent requirements in modern technologies. In addition, materials with specific combinations of properties and functionalities, such as weight, stiffness, strength, ductility, fracture toughness, etc., are difficult to obtain since many of the properties are mutually exclusive within individual materials (e.g., strength versus toughness). , Moreover, there is usually a theoretical limit (e.g., breaking strength of atomic bonds) for specific materials properties that are far from being approached by existing technologies. − To address these challenges, the emerging field of mechanomaterials , focuses on how to proactively deploy mechanical forces (e.g., via fluid flow, peeling, cold-drawing, etc.) and designed geometries during fabrication or customized postfabrication processes, to program diverse properties and functionalities of materials at nanoscale and beyond.…”

“…7,8 Moreover, there is usually a theoretical limit (e.g., breaking strength of atomic bonds) for specific materials properties that are far from being approached by existing technologies. 9−11 To address these challenges, the emerging field of mechanomaterials 12,13 focuses on how to proactively deploy mechanical forces (e.g., via fluid flow, 14 peeling, 15 colddrawing, 16 etc.) and designed geometries during fabrication or customized postfabrication processes, to program diverse properties and functionalities of materials at nanoscale and beyond.…”