A Laminating Strategy to Manyfold Enhance the Elastic Stretchability of Stretchable Electronics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electronics Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Stretchable electronics face challenges in achieving high elastic stretchability.
• Current fabrication methods for thin-ribbon metallic structures lead to buckling and stress concentration, limiting performance on compliant substrates.
• This restricts the practical application of stretchable electronics in demanding environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fabrication strategy to enhance the elastic stretchability of thin-ribbon metallic structures.
• To investigate the impact of a polymer lamination approach on stretchability across different substrate types.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy in improving device performance for applications like smart tires.

Main Methods:

• A laminating strategy was employed, involving the application of a thick polymer layer onto pre-existing thin-ribbon metallic structures.
• Serpentine structures were utilized as representative cases to evaluate the enhanced stretchability on both soft and hard substrates.
• The deformation mechanisms were analyzed to understand the underlying principles of stretchability enhancement.

Main Results:

• The proposed laminating strategy increased elastic stretchability by 3.5-fold on soft substrates and 2.3-fold on hard substrates.
• The deformation mode transitioned from out-of-plane buckling to in-plane bending, effectively mitigating stress concentration.
• This approach allows for larger angles in the serpentine segments, accommodating greater stretching.

Conclusions:

• The polymer lamination strategy offers a significant improvement in elastic stretchability for thin-ribbon electronics.
• This method overcomes limitations associated with traditional fabrication techniques, particularly on substrates with high elastic moduli.
• The demonstrated application in stretchable sensors for smart tires highlights the broad potential of this technique in advanced electronic systems.