Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2025
07:50
A Fabrication Method for Highly Stretchable Conductors with Silver Nanowires
Published on: January 21, 2016
10.1K
Printed Stretchable Graphene Conductors for Wearable Technology.
Laura S van Hazendonk1, Artur M Pinto1,2, Kirill Arapov1
1Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Center for Multiscale Electron Microscopy, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Chemistry of Materials : a Publication of the American Chemical Society
|September 19, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed a new graphene-based ink for printable stretchable conductors. This innovation enables durable, highly conductive materials for wearable electronics, even after significant stretching and repeated use.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Developing skin-compatible printed stretchable conductors with both low gauge factor and high durability remains a significant challenge.
- Existing materials often compromise conductivity, durability, or skin compatibility under strain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a graphene nanoplatelet-based colloidal ink using a skin-compatible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) binder.
- To achieve stretchable conductors with high conductivity and durability for wearable applications.
Main Methods:
- Formulation of a graphene nanoplatelet-based colloidal ink with a tunable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) binder.
- Printing conductors onto TPU substrates.
- Post-printing treatments including thermal drying and photonic annealing.
Main Results:
- Achieved stretchable conductors with conductivity maintained up to 100% strain.
- Demonstrated high fatigue resistance under cyclic strains of 20-50%.
- Sheet resistances as low as 34 Ω □-1 mil-1 after thermal drying, reduced to <10 Ω □-1 mil-1 via photonic annealing.
- Preserved and tunable stretchability and fatigue resistance after photonic annealing.
Conclusions:
- The developed graphene-TPU ink enables the fabrication of highly conductive, durable, and stretchable conductors via printing.
- Scalable ink production, adjustable rheology, and tunable properties support high-volume manufacturing of stretchable wearables.
- This advancement addresses key challenges in creating advanced electronic textiles and wearable devices.
