Understand the Temperature Sensing Behavior of Solid-state Polymerized PEDOT Hybrid Based on X-ray Scattering Studies

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is one of the most successful conductive polymers that recently has been used in wearable sensors for human health monitoring. In this work, we prepared a series of PEDOT hybrids consisting of PEDOT, sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSSNa) and polyethylene oxide (PEO), and their preparation could be scaled-up via an adapted solid-state polymerization process. The resistance of the as-prepared PEDOT:PSS/PEO hybrid shows clear temperature response, i.e., it decreases almost linearly with the temperature increase. To understand this phenomenon, the in situ synchrotron radiation wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS/SAXS) characterizations were undertaken to study the temperature-dependent microstructure change of the PEDOT:PSS/PEO hybrid. It demonstrated that PEDOT formed conductive paths in the hybrids, which were not destroyed by the PEO crystallization. As temperature increased, the PEO crystals' melting and the accompanying reorganization of PEDOT chains endowed the hybrid sample temperature responsiveness. Based on these fundamental knowledges, the hybrid materials were used to fabricate flexible wearable sensor that showing temperature sensing performance with an accuracy of 1 & DEG;C. These findings shed lights on the scalable manufacturing of wearable sensors for body temperature monitoring.