A self-healing, adaptive and conductive polymer composite ink for 3D printing of gas sensors. Issue 23 (30th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Tongfei; Gray, Euan; Chen, Biqiong
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials chemistry. Volume 6:Issue 23(2018)
• Page Start: 6200
• Page End: 6207
• Publication Date: 2018-05-30
• Subjects: Materials -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; Optical materials -- Research -- Periodicals; Electronics -- Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/c8tc01092g
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-7526

Abstract

Abstract : A graphene/polyborosiloxane composite exhibited self-healing, adaptive and electrically conductive properties and could be 3D printed into gas sensors. Abstract : A self-healing conductive polymer composite ink was formulated for 3D extrusion printing of flexible electronics. It was composed of a polyborosiloxane (PBS) matrix and 5 vol% of electrochemically exfoliated graphene. The printability was derived from the chemical-activated mechanically adaptive properties (MAPs) of PBS. The MAPs of PBS and the composite ink were studied through rheological measurements, and the non-Newtonian nature was analyzed using the Carreau–Yasuda model. With methanol vapor as a representative stimulus, the underpinning mechanism of the MAPs of PBS, which involved the methanol-induced alcoholysis of the cross-linking boron/oxygen dative bonds in PBS, was further investigated by infrared spectroscopy. The self-healing, adaptive and conductive composite ink could be used to print 3D structures and devices on a common polydimethylsiloxane flexible substrate. A 3D-printed gas sensor with responses to various chemical vapors was demonstrated as a potential application of this novel composite ink.