Direct Ink Writing of Highly Conductive and Strongly Adhesive PEDOT:PSS-EP Coatings for Antistatic Applications

Abstract

As the information age progresses, the electronics industry is evolving towards smaller and more sophisticated products. However, electrostatic potentials easily penetrate these components, causing damage. This underscores the urgent need for materials with superior antistatic properties to safeguard electronic devices from such damage. Antistatic coatings typically rely on polymers as the primary material, enhanced with conductive fillers and additives to improve performance. Despite significant progress, these coatings still face challenges related to advanced processing technologies and the integration of electrical and mechanical properties. Among various conductive fillers, the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS stands out for its exceptional conductivity, environmental stability, and long cycle life. Additionally, epoxy resin (EP) is widely utilized in polymer coatings due to its strong adhesion to diverse substrates during curing. Here, we develop highly conductive and strongly adhesive PEDOT:PSS inks by combining PEDOT:PSS with EP using a composite engineering approach. These inks are used to fabricate PEDOT:PSS coatings by direct ink writing (DIW). We systematically evaluate the DIW of PEDOT:PSS-EP coatings, which show high electrical conductivity (ranging from 0.59 ± 0.07 to 41.50 ± 3.26 S cm−1), strong adhesion (ranging from 15.84 ± 2.18 to 99.3 ± 9.06 kPa), and robust mechanical strength (8 MPa). Additionally, we examine the surface morphology, wettability, and hardness of the coatings with varying PEDOT:PSS content. The resultant coatings demonstrate significant potential for applications in antistatic protection, electromagnetic shielding, and other flexible electronic technologies.