Ziting Tian

(Advisor: Prof. Anju Toor)

will propose a doctoral thesis entitled, 

 Engineering Tunable Hydrogel Electrolytes for Stretchable Batteries and Organic Electrochemical Transistors

On

Friday, December 4 at 3:00 p.m.

MoSE Room 1224

Abstract

Stretchable electronics are driving critical advancements in wearable devices, soft robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, developing energy storage and signal transduction devices that can operate reliably under mechanical deformation remains challenging. Conventional liquid electrolytes are widely used in these devices but face problems such as leakage, evaporation, and poor mechanical stability under strain. To overcome these issues, hydrogel electrolytes emerge as a robust alternative by combining high ionic conductivity with intrinsic mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, their properties can be precisely tuned to meet the divergent needs of distinct electrochemical devices. This proposal focuses on engineering a versatile hydrogel electrolyte platform for stretchable batteries and organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). To this end, the first research thrust develops stretchable aqueous lithium-ion batteries using dual-salt hydrogel electrolytes. The polymer network and salt composition are rationally designed to achieve a wide electrochemical stability window, high ionic conductivity, stretchability, and self-healing. These electrolytes are integrated with stretchable electrode architectures to maintain stable battery performance during mechanical deformation and after damage. The second thrust applies this hydrogel platform to OECTs, which impose distinct requirements for ionic transport and electrochemical operation. This work systematically examines how electrolyte composition and physiochemical properties affect transistor performance, operating potential, and long-term cycling stability. It also investigates the impact of humidity, temperature, and environmental hydration on device operation. The optimized hydrogels are then integrated into stretchable OECTs to evaluate their electrochemical performance under applied mechanical strain. Through these two applications, this research establishes fundamental design principles for hydrogel electrolytes and supports the development of fully stretchable electronic systems with seamlessly integrated energy storage and signal transduction.

Committee

• Prof. Anju Toor – School of Materials Science and Engineering (advisor)
• Prof. Antonio Facchetti – School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Prof. Matthew McDowell – School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Prof. Seung Soon Jang – School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Prof. Nian Liu – School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering