ADVANCED PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PEDOT-BASED NONWOVEN MATERIALS FOR WEARABLE ELECTRONICS

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT-PSS) nanofiber-based materials represent advanced solutions for application in wearable electronics due to their biocompatibility, lightweight, permeability and improved sensitivity related to their large surface area.Since PEDOT is a conductive polymer, the electrospinning process for manufacturing thin, flexible nonwovens made of homogeneous nanofibers is not well-studied yet.In this research, we have investigated the fabrication and characterization of electrospun conductive nanofibers composed of varying concentrations of PEDOT-PSS mixed with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO).The electrospinning technique was employed to produce these conductive nonwovens, and their morphological properties were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).To enhance the water resistance of nanofibers, a thermal treatment was applied to remove excess PEO.The resulting samples demonstrated significant improvements in water stability, whereas untreated samples dissolved in pure water almost immediately.Electrical characterization of conductive nonwovens was performed, revealing resistivity in several hundreds of Ohmm.To further investigate the electrical response and electrochemical behavior of the material when in contact with specific compounds, we conducted electric impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV).The EIS measurements provided insights into the impedance characteristics, while the CV analysis highlighted the occurrence of reversible faradaic reactions.Our findings suggest that the optimized PEDOT-PSS/PEO nanofibers exhibit promising electrical and electrochemical properties, making them suitable for applications in flexible electronics and wearable sensors.This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between the fabrication process, structural morphology, and functional performance of electrospun conductive nonwovens with the potential to significantly impact the wearable technology field.