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Bonding in Metals02:32

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Metallic bonds are formed between two metal atoms. A simplified model to describe metallic bonding has been developed by Paul Drüde called the “Electron Sea Model”.
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Iron-On Wearable Electronics through Liquid Metal Adhesive Composites.

John Joyce1, Brittan T Wilcox1, Anna Ingram1

  • 1Mechanical Engineering, Soft Materials and Structures Lab, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|November 9, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed stretchable liquid metal (LM) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites for e-textiles. These materials offer excellent conductivity and adhesion to fabrics, enabling advanced wearable electronics.

Keywords:
e-textilesfabric adhesionliquid metal compositessoft circuit integrationstretchable conductorsthermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)wearable electronics

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Textile Science

Background:

  • E-textiles and wearable electronics require flexible, stretchable circuitry for diverse applications like healthcare and human-machine interfaces.
  • Integrating functional components with deformable substrates such as fabrics presents a significant challenge for current technologies.
  • Development of stretchable conductors and advanced processing techniques is crucial for enabling these emerging electronic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To create novel composites of liquid metal (LM) microdroplets within a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix.
  • To develop stretchable, adhesive, and electrically conductive materials for seamless integration into e-textiles and wearable circuits.
  • To demonstrate the reprocessing capability of the developed composites for hot melt adhesion applications.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of composites by dispersing LM microdroplets in a TPU matrix.
  • Characterization of the mechanical properties, including stretchability (over 600% strain) and adhesion to fabrics (up to 6400 J m-2).
  • Measurement of electrical conductivity (up to 8.0 × 105 S m-1) and assessment of reprocessing via heat transfer.

Main Results:

  • The LM-TPU composites exhibited high stretchability, strong adhesion to common fabrics via heat transfer, and excellent electrical conductivity.
  • The thermoplastic nature of the TPU matrix allowed for reprocessing, enabling hot melt adhesion.
  • The soft conductors effectively integrated electronically and mechanically with both rigid components and fabrics.

Conclusions:

  • The developed LM-TPU composites offer a promising solution for creating flexible, electrically conductive materials for e-textiles and wearable electronics.
  • These composites facilitate the integration of functional components, paving the way for advanced soft circuits.
  • The materials' unique properties enable robust and versatile applications in the rapidly growing field of wearable technology.