Highly Stable Liquid Metal Conductors with Superior Electrical Stability and Tough Interface Bonding for Stretchable...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Liquid metal stretchable conductors are crucial for flexible electronics like sensors and electrodes.
• Maintaining electrical stability and strong interfaces under strain is vital for device reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a highly stable liquid metal conductor with superior electrical stability and tough interfacial bonding.
• To demonstrate a novel fabrication method using curable polymers and a peeling-activated process.

Main Methods:

• Casting curable polymers and a peeling-activated process with liquid metal particles.
• Investigating the conductor's strain insensitivity and cyclic deformation immunity.
• Measuring interfacial adhesion force and testing interface toughness.

Main Results:

• The conductor exhibits strain insensitivity (ΔR/R0 < 10% for 100% strain) and cyclic deformation immunity (ΔR/R0 < 7% for 5000 cycles).
• Interfacial adhesion force increased from 0.48 to 0.62 mN/mm², withstanding sonication.
• An integrated array with vertical interconnect access and robust electrodes was fabricated.

Conclusions:

• The developed liquid metal conductor offers exceptional electrical stability and interfacial adhesion for flexible electronics.
• The novel fabrication method ensures device reliability and longevity under mechanical stress.
• This work advances the design and fabrication of robust stretchable electronic components.