Highly Robust and Conductive Polymer Electrodes for Droplet Energy Harvesting and Printable On‐Skin Electronics

Abstract

Abstract Solution‐processable conductive polymers have exhibited promising electrical properties. However, their brittleness and unsatisfactory mechanical characteristics have hindered their creation of flexible electrodes. Here, a robust bi‐continuous polymer electrode (BC‐PE) is reported that features a stable and high electrical conductivity (>60 S cm −1 ), remarkable stretchability (>600%), high fracture strength (>57 MPa), excellent toughness (>230 MJ m −3 ), recyclability, and biocompatibility. The BC‐PE is fabricated by facilely blending a high‐conducting polymer poly(benzodifurandione)(PBFDO) with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Serving as a flexible electrode for a droplet electricity generator, a record high current density of 29.2 A m −2 and a power density of 1124.2 W m −2 have been attained. Moreover, the versatility of the BC‐PE is validated by the direct ink writing technique, and a soft, thin, BC‐PE‐based self‐powered electronic skin is demonstrated for touch‐track recognition. This work presents a straightforward strategy for the development of advanced conductive polymer electrodes that well address the tradeoffs between conductivity and mechanical properties, showcasing their promising applications in energy harvesting and on‐skin human‐machine interfaces.