Development of water-soluble conducting polymers

Catherine Beaumont, PhD student
Maël Idir, PhD student
Samuel Caron MSc student
Prof. Mario Leclerc Research Group (Université Laval)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new research field who got a lot of attention recently for its promising future. By definition, IoT is the network of physical objects connected to software or any other technology for the purpose of exchanging data with other devices. A great example for this field is smart packaging. Mainly use in the field of food transportation and pharmaceuticals, smart packaging contains a sensor able to detect changes of temperature, humidity, pH and even vibrations, and transmit the information to an electronic device. However, these devices require conductors such as silver or copper. These metals are not recyclable and contribute massively to E-Waste, meaning they are not a long-term solution for this specific application. Carbon-based materials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes and conjugated polymers re promising to replace metallic conductors due to their flexibility, recyclability, processability and lightness. The use of organic materials could allow the production of greener, flexible and low-cost devices. We are using a self-doped PEDOT-like polymers obtained by direct heteroarylation polymerization (DHAP). Our polymers have shown air-stable electrical conductivities up to 50 S / cm without the use of any post-treatment, which is an improvement compared to PEDOT:PSS, the state of the art of conducting polymers. Also, the good water processability of these conducting polymers is promising for printed electronics in a wide range of application.