Abstract
Stretchable conducting polymers are promising candidates for soft bioelectronics due to their advantages in stretchability, conductivity, and biocompatibility. However, the inherent trade-off between electrical performance and mechanical elasticity limits the practical applications in bioelectronic devices. In this thesis, dual polymer networks comprising a conducting polymer and a dynamic polymer were designed to investigate strategies for balancing mechanical robustness and electrical conductivity. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) was selected as the conducting component while a PEG-based dynamic polymer with hydrogen-bonded cross-linking networks was synthesized to provide mechanical functions. Increasing the PEDOT: PSS content enhanced stiffness and conductivity by forming interconnected polymer networks, but this improvement was accompanied by a significantly reduced elongation at break due to increased brittleness. The results demonstrate that incorporating 40% PEDOT: PSS achieves a good balance between toughness (160 MPa) and conductivity (25 S/cm) compared with other polymer blending strategies. These findings indicate that dynamic polymers enable improved mechanical toughness and electrical performance, offering a promising materials design strategy for future soft bioelectronic applications.
Committee Chair
Christopher Cooper
Committee Members
Yifan Dai, Chuan Wang
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Author's Department
Biomedical Engineering
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
Winter 12-17-2025
Language
English (en)
Recommended Citation
Ma, Haowei, "Dual Networks of Dynamic Polymer and Conducting Polymer for Bioelectronics" (2025). McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations. 1301.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/eng_etds/1301
Included in
Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons, Polymer and Organic Materials Commons