Soft Electronic Block Copolymer Elastomer Composites for Multi?Material Printing of Stretchable Physiological Sensors on Textiles

Soft and stretchable electronic materials have a number of unique applications, not least within sensors for monitoring human health. Through development appropriate inks, micro-extrusion 3D printing offers an appealing route integrating soft wearable garments. Toward this objective, here series conductive inks based on thermoplastic styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene elastomers combined with silver micro-flakes, carbon black nanoparticles, or poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) conducting polymer additives, is developed. Their electrical mechanical properties are systematically compared found to be highly dependent additive amount type. Thus, while composites offer the highest conductivity, their stretchability far inferior composites, which can maintain conductivity beyond 400% strain. The PEDOT but display due propensity ionic conductivity. To integrate these as well insulating counterparts, into functional designs, multi-material routine direct deposition onto stretchable, elastic fabrics established. As demonstration, prototypes produced sensing common health markers including strain, physiological temperatures, electrocardiograms. Collectively, work demonstrates elastomer versatile method fabricating bio-sensors.