Conductive Polymer Waving in Liquid Nitrogen

The poor mechanical properties and processability of pristine heterocyclic conductive polymers represent the most notable scientific and technological challenges that have greatly limited the application of these polymers. We report a soft and mechanically processable free-standing pristine polypyrrole (PPy) membrane (PPy-N) that is as soft in liquid nitrogen (-196 °C) as it is at room temperature, despite a glass transition temperature (T_g) above 100 °C. This PPy membrane also displays a highly attractive combination of properties, including mechanical processability, lightweight (9 g m^-2), large surface area (14.5 m² g^-1), stable electrothermal behavior, amphiphilicity, excellent cytocompatibility, and easy synthesis, at virtually any size. This discovery demonstrates an approach to changing the mechanical property of heterocyclic conductive polymer with no chemical alterations or compounding and may enhance the development of inherently conducting polymers for applications in energy storage and biomedicine and as lightweight conducting and heating materials.