Kazakhstan researchers create innovative substance for next-generation electronics
Nazarbayev University researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery, developing ultra-flexible conductive polymers that could revolutionize the field of energy storage and flexible electronics. The results of their work were published in the prestigious scientific journal Scientific Reports, part of the Nature Portfolio.
The team, led by Professor Nurshat Nurazhiev, has created an innovative method for synthesizing multifunctional three-dimensional polymers. These new polymers are suitable for various applications, including "smart" wearables and medical sensors, and could significantly boost the efficiency of miniaturized electronic devices.
The polymers' unique properties make them ideal for use as electrode materials in energy storage devices such as supercapacitors. Their flexibility and lightweight nature enhance device performance and durability under mechanical stress. Furthermore, these conductive and elastic polymers can be used in flexible sensors for applications like human-computer interaction, electronic skin, and motion detection, enabling sensitive and conformable sensor interfaces.
These materials can also be integrated into stretchable electronic components that convert mechanical signals into electrical signals, facilitating advanced wearable technologies and flexible hardware modules. The advantages of such ultra-flexible conductive polymers include improved mechanical resilience, adaptability to bending and stretching, lightweight construction, and stable electrical performance, which are critical for next-generation flexible and wearable energy storage and sensing technologies.
The new polymers outperform traditional materials and do not require additional techniques, cross-linking agents, or dielectrics. The simplicity and universality of the new technology for synthesizing porous polymers make the process cheaper compared to existing methods. Moreover, the new material withstands bending and twisting without losing its properties, making it an ideal choice for portable, conformable devices in advanced technology fields.
The Kazakhstani scientists' research on polymer nanocomposites continues to progress, with ongoing projects in various applications such as renewable energy and environmental protection. They are currently using the new technology to create other composite polymers used in hydrogen production, water purification, developing sensitive sensors, and other projects in renewable energy and environmental protection.
Gulzhana Zhigerbaeva, a research scientist, stated that the developments are already being used in flexible energy storage, gas sensors, and hydrogen production systems. Professor Nurazhiev emphasized that developing micro-energy storage is crucial for the future of wearable electronics.
This innovation allows for the production of various porous composite materials, opening opportunities for integrating them into portable, conformable devices in advanced technology fields. The new ultra-flexible conductive polymers developed by scientists at Nazarbayev University have potential applications in advanced energy storage devices, sensors, and flexible electronics, addressing growing demands for materials that combine electrical functionality with mechanical flexibility in energy and sensing technologies.
- The ultra-flexible conductive polymers developed by Nazarbayev University researchers could significantly boost the efficiency of miniaturized "smart" wearables and medical sensors in the field of health-and-wellness.
- The new polymers, suitable for flexible electronics, could revolutionize the use of sensors for applications like human-computer interaction, electronic skin, and motion detection in the realm of technology.
- With their unique abilities, these conductive and elastic polymers could also be used in fitness-and-exercise trackers, facilitating advanced wearable technologies and flexible hardware modules for data-and-cloud-computing.
- The simplicity and universality of the new technology for synthesizing porous polymers make it an ideal choice for integrating wearable gadgets, such as smartphones, into portable, conformable devices in advanced technology fields.
