A Superstretchable and Ultrastable Liquid Metal-Elastomer Wire for Soft Electronic Devices.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Soft Robotics

Background:

• One-dimensional (1D) elastic conductors are crucial for soft electronic devices.
• Existing conductors often lack sufficient stretchability and electrical stability under strain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a novel elastic conductive wire using liquid metal (LM) and porous thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).
• To enhance the stretchability and electrical stability of 1D elastic conductors for soft electronics.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of TPE microfibers to create a porous substrate.
• Coating the porous TPE substrate with liquid metal.
• Encapsulating the conductive wire with an additional layer of electrospun TPE.

Main Results:

• The LM-TPE composite wire achieved a break strain of up to ~2300% (67% increase vs. nonporous TPE).
• Resistance increase was limited to 12 times during 1900% stretching, showing superior electrical stability.
• Demonstrated functionality of electronic components (LED, audio setup) under 1000% strain.
• Fabricated an elastic inductance coil for strain sensing and magnetic field detection.

Conclusions:

• The porous TPE structure significantly improves the stretchability and electrical stability of LM-based elastic conductors.
• The developed LM-TPE wire is a promising building block for advanced soft electronic devices and sensors.