Stretchable Electronics: Optimized Conductive Polymer for Next-Gen Wearable Biosensors

In a breakthrough for wearable technology, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have developed an innovative approach to enhance both the electrical conductivity and stretchability of conductive polymers. This advancement could revolutionize health-monitoring devices and pave the way for flexible, skin-like electronic biosensors.

Stretchable Conductive Polymer

A Polymer Designed for Flexibility

Developing electronics that are as flexible and soft as human skin requires materials with unique properties: high conductivity, biocompatibility, and mechanical stretchability. One promising candidate is the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS. However, achieving both high stretchability and conductivity in this material has been challenging—until now.

The research team led by Dr. Ulrike Kraft introduced a transfer-printing process where plasticizers diffuse from the substrate into the PEDOT:PSS film. This process enhances the polymer’s ability to conduct electricity while maintaining its elasticity, creating a material perfect for wearable biosensors.

How It Works

The innovative method leverages the diffusion of plasticizers during transfer-printing, which improves the material’s mechanical properties and electronic performance. Using advanced characterization techniques—including atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy—the team discovered that the alignment of polymer chains under strain enhances conductivity.

“Our method simultaneously improves the stretchability and electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS—an important step towards on-skin biosensors.”
— Dr. Ulrike Kraft, Head of the Organic Bioelectronics Research Group

Implications for Wearable Technology

This work represents a significant advance in the field of soft, stretchable electronics. The optimized PEDOT:PSS could lead to a new generation of wearable devices, such as skin patches that monitor heart rate or detect biomarkers like stress hormones in sweat. Future applications could include flexible electrodes for electrocardiograms (ECGs) and even biodegradable, eco-friendly electronics.

The team’s next goal is to apply this method in fabricating and testing fully functional stretchable biosensors.

Read the original article here: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-stretchable-electronics-polymer-optimized-wearable.html

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#StretchableElectronics #WearableTech #ConductivePolymers #MaterialsScience #QuantumServerNetworks #Bioelectronics #Nanomaterials #PWmat

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