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Screen-Printing Fabrication and Characterization of Stretchable Electronics.
Jari Suikkola1, Toni Björninen1, Mahmoud Mosallaei1
1Tampere University of Technology, Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Tampere, Korkeakoulunkatu 3, FI33720, Finland.
Scientific Reports
|May 14, 2016
Summary
Researchers developed stretchable interconnects for wearable electronics using a silver-polymer ink. These interconnects show good strain tolerance and reversible resistance changes, crucial for reliable electronic device performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Wearable electronics demand robust, stretchable interconnects capable of withstanding mechanical deformation.
- Existing interconnects often fail under strain, limiting the performance and durability of wearable devices.
- Developing reliable conductive pathways is essential for advancing flexible and stretchable electronics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize novel stretchable interconnects for wearable electronics.
- To evaluate the mechanical and electrical performance of silver-polymer composite interconnects under strain.
- To investigate the strain-dependent resistance behavior and reversibility of these interconnects.
Main Methods:
- Screen-printing of a stretchable silver-polymer composite ink onto a thin thermoplastic polyurethane substrate.
- Characterization of sheet resistance and mechanical strain tolerance of the fabricated interconnects.
- Analysis of resistance changes under cyclic strain and assessment of resistance recovery over time.
- Validation of the developed model using a stretchable radio-frequency identification tag.
Main Results:
- Interconnects exhibited an average initial sheet resistance of 36.2 mΩ/sq.
- Up to 74% single-strain tolerance was achieved in 50% of the samples.
- Resistance increased with cyclic strain but demonstrated near-complete, time-dependent reversibility.
- Normalized resistances stabilized at 1.3, 1.4, and 1.7 for 10%, 15%, and 20% cyclic strains, respectively.
Conclusions:
- The developed silver-polymer composite interconnects offer promising performance for wearable electronics applications.
- The demonstrated strain tolerance and reversible resistance changes are critical for durable and reliable stretchable devices.
- The introduced regression model provides a valuable tool for predicting interconnect behavior under strain.
- The successful characterization of a radio-frequency identification tag validates the model's applicability in radio-frequency scenarios.
