Printed Circuits on Plant Leaves Using Spray-Coated Conjugated Polymers

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a compact way to organize circuits that would otherwise be flooded by cables. The transfer of this concept to the domain of plant leaves would facilitate the development of novel applications capable of directly sensing plant parameters from their leaves. Therefore, this study will analyze the reliability of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), a conductive polymer that was spray-coated onto the leaves of Epipremnum aureum plants. This non-invasive method allows applications while the plant remains intact. The experiments will include examining the wettability and accuracy of deposition. In addition, the relationship between environment temperature and resistance of the deposited polymer will be investigated. The results show that environmental temperature affects PEDOT:PSS's resistance similarly on plant leaves and polymethyl methaacrylat (PMMA) substrates.