Conductive Coordination Polymer Networks for Flexible Transparent Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current conductive materials are rigid, lack flexibility, and are not suitable for integration with soft substrates like textiles or biological tissues, limiting their application in advanced wearable electronics and sensors.
Innovation Solution
A nanofibrous conductive coordination polymer (MH-41) is synthesized using thiolated or selenated ligands coordinated with metal ions, forming a flexible and entangled network that can be applied to various substrates, providing conductivity and pressure sensitivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional conductive materials are used, then electrical conductivity is achieved, but flexibility and mechanical deformability are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin film morphology for the coordination polymer, creating a flexible structure that can be integrated with soft substrates. The material forms a continuous conductive network within a flexible matrix, enabling both electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite coordination polymer material combining organic ligands (thiolated or selenated) with metal ions to form a hybrid structure. This composite approach allows the material to exhibit both conductive properties from the coordinated network and flexibility from the organic framework.
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid conductive materials are used, then structural stability is maintained, but integration with soft substrates like textiles or biological tissues becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and mechanical parameters of conductive materials by synthesizing coordination polymers with controlled chain length, cross-linking density, and molecular weight. These parameter adjustments transform the material from rigid to flexible while maintaining structural stability and conductivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coordination polymer is designed as a thin film that can conform to soft substrates. The film structure provides structural integrity while its thin, flexible nature enables easy integration with textiles and biological tissues through coating or lamination techniques.
3Reliability
If conventional conductive materials are used, then electrical performance is achieved, but optical transparency is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The coordination polymer structure is designed with localized conductive pathways through metal ion coordination while maintaining an overall transparent matrix. The conductive centers are distributed locally rather than forming a continuous opaque phase, allowing light transmission while providing electrical conductivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The material is optically transparent, flexible, and can be easily integrated into devices, offering enhanced mechanical deformability and stability, suitable for wearable electronics, sensors, and coatings.
Implementation Method 1
thiolated or selenated ligands coordinated with metal ions, each coordinated with at least one ligand comprising a set of thiolated or selenated functional groups to form an extended M-L network to impart conductivity to the material
Data Source
AI summary
Compositions, methods and processes for producing an electrically conductive metal-organic material is disclosed, wherein the material is based on a coordination polymer consisting of a plurality of ligands and metal ions, each coordinated with a ligand to impart conductivity to the material. Further provided are methods of deposition and use to produce conductive textiles, stretchable, flexible and transparent devices and surfaces. The electrically conductive metal-organic material may be used in a variety of fields including wearable electronics, sensors (gas, wearable, sweat, temperature, humidity), batteries, supercapacitors, electronic and pressure sensitive textiles/cotton/paper, electromagnetic shielding fabric, triboelectric nanogenerators, conductive paints/inks, antistatic coatings, conductive spray for flexible, transparent, and pressure sensitive glass/elastomers/plastics.