Development and characterization of cyclic compound-based biaxially stretched smart polymeric film for futuristic flexible electronic devices

A detailed analysis of the polymeric film substrates is necessary for the designing and fabrication of advanced flexible electronic devices. This study reports the synthesis and film fabrication of novel poly(1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate-co-1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate) (PCTN) copolyester. The fabricated film was biaxially stretched using a cold drawing process and thoroughly characterized for its performance characteristics; thermal, mechanical, optical, barrier, thermal degradation, and dimensional stability. DSC, XRD, and birefringence results indicated that the regular arrangements of the molecular chains increase with an increasing biaxial stretching, which significantly improves the analyzed performance characteristics of the fabricated smart film. The biaxially stretched PCTN smart film have high T_g (124.3 °C), wide processing window (T_m, 276.8 °C), good transmittance (94%), low birefringence (3.71 × 10⁻⁴), low water absorption (0.16%), good thermal degradation behavior (T_id5%, 413.10 °C), and dimensional stability (CTE (−55 to 85 °C), 13.6 ppm °C⁻¹) compared to conventional polymeric substrates (PET, PEN, and PI) for advanced electronic devices. Unique performance characteristics of the developed biaxially stretched PCTN film make it an ideal candidate as a polymeric substrate for advanced futuristic flexible electronic devices.