Ultra-Sensitive Ionic Conductors with Tunable Resistance Switching Temperature Enabled by Phase Transformation of Polymer Cocrystals.

Phase-transformable ionic conductors (PTICs) show significant prospects for functional applications due to their reversible resistance switching property. However, the representative design principle of PTICs is utilizing the melt-crystallization transition of ionic liquids, and the resistance switching temperatures of such PTICs cannot be tuned as desired. Herein, we proposed a new strategy to design PTICs with on-demand resistance switching temperatures by using the melt-crystallization transition of polymer cocrystal phase, whose melting temperature shows a linear relationship with the polymer compositions. Owing to the melt of polymer cocrystal domains and the tunable migration of ions in the resistance switching region, the obtained PTICs display ultrahigh temperature sensitivity with a superior temperature coefficient of resistance of -8.50%/°C around human body temperature, as compared to various ionic conductors previously reported. Therefore, the PTICs can detect tiny temperature variation, allowing for the intelligent applications for overheating warning and heat dissipation. We believe that this work may inspire future researches on the development of advanced soft electrical devices. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.