Laser-programmed stiffness and interfaces for textile hybrid electronics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Wearable Electronics

Background:

• Rigid chips in wearable electronics face modulus mismatch issues with elastic textiles.
• This mismatch hinders the development of reliable stretchable hybrid electronics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop laser-programmed textile hybrid electronics (LPTHE) for seamless integration of components onto textiles.
• To address the modulus mismatch and improve the stretchability and durability of wearable electronic devices.

Main Methods:

• Utilized selective laser-polymer interaction to tailor laser-programmed textiles (LPTs) with gradient stiffness.
• Engineered interfacial affinities to enhance component integration and strain isolation.
• Demonstrated LPTHE with integrated wires and chips on LPTs.

Main Results:

• Laser pretreatment increased modulus of textiles by 2.7-fold to 14.9-fold, maintaining permeability and safety.
• Achieved strain isolation between rigid chips and elastic textiles, preventing wire disconnection and short circuits.
• Successfully demonstrated a deformable LPTHE screen and a stretchable health monitoring patch.

Conclusions:

• The proposed LPTHE strategy effectively bridges the gap between hybrid electronics and elastic textiles.
• LPTHE offers a viable solution for creating robust and stretchable wearable electronic devices.
• This approach enhances the stability, durability, and functionality of daily wearable electronics.