Method for Patterning of Conductive Polymers on Flexible Substrates with Possible Applications for Wearable Sensing

This study presents a novel fabrication approach for the precise patterning of conductive polymer coatings (graphene/PEDOT:PSS) on flexible substrates. Traditional lithographic methods often result in chemical or thermal degradation of polymer chains, compromising electrical conductivity. The proposed method utilizes an inversely structured gold nanocoating (400–450 nm) as a sacrificial template. By employing a selective lift-off process in a potassium iodide solution, high-resolution polymer topologies are achieved without damaging the active material. The resulting structures exhibit a sheet resistance of 90–100 Ω/sq and maintain linear sensitivity to temperature and humidity, making them suitable for next-generation wearable medical diagnostics.