Document Type
Poster
College
Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering
Start Date
25-3-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
25-3-2026 2:00 PM
Abstract
Conductive soft materials are increasingly important for applications in flexible electronics, wearable devices, and energy storage systems. However, many conventional ionic gels exhibit high ionic conductivity but suffer from poor mechanical stability, limiting their practical use. Deep eutectic solvent (DES) based gels have emerged as a promising alternative due to their tunable physicochemical properties, strong hydrogen bonding networks, and improved mechanical robustness. In this work, a hydrogel composed of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly (NaSS-co-SBMA) was synthesized and used as a polymer matrix to produce eutectic gels through a solvent exchange process. Several DES systems were prepared by combining hydrogen bond donors (glycerol, ethylene glycol, and urea) with hydrogen bond acceptors (choline chloride, zinc chloride, calcium chloride and lithium chloride). These DES formulations were introduced into the hydrogel network to investigate how solvent composition influences the structure and properties of the resulting gels. The DES-infused hydrogels were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to evaluate thermal stability and phase behavior. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Instron tensile testing were used to determine viscoelastic and mechanical properties. Ionic conductivity was assessed using an LED-based conductivity test to evaluate ion transport through the gel network. This work provides insight into how different DES compositions influence the thermal, mechanical, and conductive behavior of eutectic gels and highlights their potential as conductive soft materials for flexible electronic and energy storage applications.
Investigation into the Conductive Properties of Eutectic Gels
Conductive soft materials are increasingly important for applications in flexible electronics, wearable devices, and energy storage systems. However, many conventional ionic gels exhibit high ionic conductivity but suffer from poor mechanical stability, limiting their practical use. Deep eutectic solvent (DES) based gels have emerged as a promising alternative due to their tunable physicochemical properties, strong hydrogen bonding networks, and improved mechanical robustness. In this work, a hydrogel composed of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly (NaSS-co-SBMA) was synthesized and used as a polymer matrix to produce eutectic gels through a solvent exchange process. Several DES systems were prepared by combining hydrogen bond donors (glycerol, ethylene glycol, and urea) with hydrogen bond acceptors (choline chloride, zinc chloride, calcium chloride and lithium chloride). These DES formulations were introduced into the hydrogel network to investigate how solvent composition influences the structure and properties of the resulting gels. The DES-infused hydrogels were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to evaluate thermal stability and phase behavior. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Instron tensile testing were used to determine viscoelastic and mechanical properties. Ionic conductivity was assessed using an LED-based conductivity test to evaluate ion transport through the gel network. This work provides insight into how different DES compositions influence the thermal, mechanical, and conductive behavior of eutectic gels and highlights their potential as conductive soft materials for flexible electronic and energy storage applications.