Direct Wiring of Eutectic Gallium-Indium to a Metal Electrode for Soft Sensor Systems

For wider applications of liquid metal-based stretchable electronics, electrical interface has remained a crucial issue due to its fragile electromechanical stability and complex fabrication steps. In this study, a direct writing-based technique is introduced to form the writing paths of conductive liquid metal (eutectic gallium-indium, eGaIn) and electrical connections to off-the-shelf metal electrodes in a single process. Specifically, by extending eGaIn wires written on a silicone substrate, the eGaIn wires were physically connected to five different metal electrodes, of which stability as an electrical connection was investigated. Among the five different surface materials, the metal electrode finished by electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) was reproducible and had low contact resistance without time-dependent variation. In our experiments, it was verified that the electrode part made by an ENIG-finished flexible flat cable (FFC) was mechanically (strain, ≤100%; pressure, ≤600 kPa) and thermally (temperature, ≤180 °C) durable. By modifying the trajectories of eGaIn wires, soft sensor systems composed of 10 sensing units were fabricated and tested to measure finger joint angles and ground reaction forces, respectively. The proposed method enables eGaIn-based soft sensors or circuits to be connected to typical electronic components through FFCs or weldable surfaces, using only off-the-shelf materials without additional mechanical or chemical treatments.