Pop-Up Conducting Large-Area Biographene Kirigami

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Soft Electronics

Background:

• Graphene-based materials offer unique electrical and mechanical properties.
• Bio-integrated materials like silk can enhance flexibility and biocompatibility.
• Creating complex 3D structures from 2D materials is challenging for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a rapid, large-area method for transforming bioenabled graphene laminates into multidimensional geometries.
• To enable pop-up and stretchable electronic applications using these transformed materials.

Main Methods:

• Utilized water-vapor annealing for controlled plasticization of multilayered silk-graphene morphologies.
• Employed programmable drag knife kirigami cuts with adjustable depth for precise patterning.
• Achieved topological control over fold-unfold states and crack fracture paths.

Main Results:

• Successfully transformed bioenabled graphene laminates into diverse multidimensional geometries.
• Demonstrated microscale arrays of full and partial kirigami cuts.
• Showcased orthogonal control over nanoscale morphology, cut pattern, and conductivity.

Conclusions:

• Bioenabled graphene-silk laminates serve as a versatile platform for soft and shape-transforming electronics.
• The developed method facilitates the creation of flexible interconnects and stretchable energy harvesters.
• This approach offers a purely topological method for controlling material behavior.