Synthesis and Characterization of Stretchable Ionic Cable

Abstract

A transparent and flexible polymer with unique electric and sound signal transmission capability under highly stretchable conditions has been synthesized. In this paper the milestone achieved in the polymerization of intrinsic ionic Ω–conjugated polymer, hereinafter known as Ionic Cables (ICs), through free radical crosslinking co-polymerization process/technique and structural modifications encountered so far in our experiments are discussed. EIS and stress-strain assessments had showed that ionic conductivity and flexibility are dependent on the amount of accelerator Tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) and curing time (CT). By varying the amount of accelerator, in our case TEMED, and CT the ICs with ionic conductivity of 0.021 S/cm to 0.111S/cmand 350% elongation to 448% elongation conditions was synthesized with highly water absorption capability up to 78% of its total volume. The synthesized ICs with ultra-stretchability, transparency and conductivity can be used in versatile applications, including stretchable ionic cables, tissue engineering, ionic mass transport systems and bio sensors.