Block Copolymer Elastomers for Stretchable Electronics.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Electronics Engineering

Background:

• Increasing demand for healthcare sensors, electronic skin, and flexible displays drives interest in advanced stretchable materials.
• Block copolymer (BC) elastomers, characterized by physical cross-links, offer distinct advantages over chemically cross-linked elastomers.
• Their viscoelasticity and thermoplasticity facilitate processing and application in various electronic components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements and applications of BC elastomers in stretchable electronic devices.
• To discuss the potential for future applications and identify challenges for commercialization.
• To highlight the fabrication strategies for BC-based stretchable conductive materials and substrates.

Main Methods:

• Summarizing recent literature on BC elastomer applications in stretchable electronics.
• Discussing fabrication techniques including filler mixing, infiltration, and precursor conversion for conductive composites.
• Analyzing the use of BCs as substrates, including BC/PDMS double layers and surface microfibril networks.

Main Results:

• BC elastomers enable the fabrication of stretchable conductors through various methods, achieving high conductivity and stretchability.
• BC/PDMS double layer substrates provide enhanced elastomeric behavior while preserving BC advantages.
• BC substrates with microfibril networks facilitate high-resolution circuitry fabrication, leading to large-area, high-resolution transistor arrays.

Conclusions:

• BC elastomers are versatile materials for developing advanced stretchable electronic devices, including sensors, displays, and transistors.
• Further development is required to ensure long-term stability against heat, solvents, and UV exposure for practical applications.
• Synthesis of functional BCs is crucial for expanding their use in areas like stretchable implanted biomedical devices.