Synthesis of Electron Beam Cured Free-Standing Ion-Gel Membranes for Organic Electronics Applications

Cost efficient and facile synthesis of functional materials that enable low voltage operations is highly demanded for the future growth of plastic electronic sector. In this article we report a fast, solvent-free and roll-to-roll compatible method of fabricating novel solid ion-gel membranes from 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][TFSI]) and acrylate monomer blends of trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) and tetra(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (TEDGA) via electron beam curing. The manufactured free standing and solid ion-gel membranes were successfully utilized in various electronic devices such as ion-modulated organic thin film transistors (IMTs), supercapacitors (SC) and electrochromic (EC) displays. The tailor-made ion-gel membrane, with an optimized composition, exhibited high specific capacitance and good mechanical properties. The prepared IMTs operated at remarkable low voltages of less than 1.5 V with on-currents on the order of milliamps and ON/OFF ratios greater than ~10⁴.