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  • Review Article
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3D-printed PEDOT:PSS for soft robotics

Nature Reviews Materials volume 8, pages 604–622 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Soft robotics is an emerging technology requiring conductive materials with inherently high compliance to sense, control or actuate. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is a soft and flexible conducting polymer with tunable mechanical properties, mixed ionic and electronic conductivity and excellent processability. Combining PEDOT:PSS with advanced 3D printing has ushered unprecedented opportunities in soft material engineering and soft robotics. In this Review, we aim to bridge the gap between different research areas by specifically discussing the use of PEDOT:PSS-based inks in 3D printing for soft robotics. We discuss rational PEDOT:PSS-based ink design and evaluation, 3D-printing technologies and strategies as well as applications for soft robotics. We provide insights into the theoretical background and fundamental aspects of the 3D printing of conducting polymers, with the goal of accelerating soft robotics development.

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Fig. 1: Roadmap on 3D-printing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate for soft robotics.
Fig. 2: Design strategies and schematic illustrations for 3D-printable poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate-based inks.
Fig. 3: Brief overview and printability requirements of typical nozzle-based and light-based printing for poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate-based inks.
Fig. 4: Nozzle-based and light-based printing techniques.
Fig. 5: Three-dimensional-printed poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate for soft robotics.
Fig. 6: Perspectives.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank D. Wang for constructive suggestions and essay polishing on printing techniques, Z. Shen for the insightful discussion on perspective applications for soft machines at human–robot interfaces and Q. Zhao for his keen percipience on design principles of printable inks. This study was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 52025057, 51963011 and T2293725.), the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Grant No. 20550712100) and the Innovative Research Team of High-Level Local Universities in Shanghai (SHSMU-ZDCX20210901).

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Jinhao Li, Jie Cao.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Robotics Institute and State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Jinhao Li & Guoying Gu

  2. Meta Robotics Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Jinhao Li & Guoying Gu

  3. Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics, Flexible Electronics Innovation Institute, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China

    Jie Cao & Baoyang Lu

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J.L. and J.C. contributed equally to this paper. All authors contributed to the planning, discussion and writing of the manuscript.

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Li, J., Cao, J., Lu, B. et al. 3D-printed PEDOT:PSS for soft robotics. Nat Rev Mater 8, 604–622 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-023-00587-5

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