Publication date: 15th December 2025
The mechanical mismatch between rigid electronics and soft biological tissues presents a major challenge in the development of bioelectronic devices1. Organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs), particularly conjugated polymers with oligoether side chains, offer promising solutions due to their intrinsic softness, mixed conductivity, and biocompatibility2,3. However, their significant volume changes during electrochemical cycling—driven by ion and water ingress during oxidation and subsequent expulsion during reduction—often lead to drastic changes in stiffness, complicating device-tissue mechanical matching across redox states4,5,6.
Here, we investigate the electromechanical response of a thienothiophene-based conjugated polymer, p(g3TT-T2), functionalized with triethylene glycol side chains. Using electrochemical nanoindentation and structural characterization, we find that this polymer exhibits only a modest increase in elastic modulus from ~100 to 200 MPa upon electrochemical oxidation. This unusual mechanical stability is attributed to a reversible increase in π–π stacking that compensates for swelling-induced softening.
Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to design OMIEC materials with stable mechanical properties across redox states, opening new possibilities for compliant, tissue-matched bioelectronic interfaces that remain mechanically invariant during operation.
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