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Bioinspired Dual-Scale Crack Manipulation Enabling 325%-Stretchable Metal Film Conductors for AI-Empowered Electronic
Tianming Sun1,2, Bin Feng3, Guisheng Zou4,5
1State Key Laboratory of Clean and Efficient Turbomachinery Power Equipment, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China.
Nano-Micro Letters
|April 7, 2026
Summary
Researchers engineered metal films for stretchable electronic skins by controlling cracks, achieving up to 325% stretchability. This novel approach uses nanoscale pores and microscale roughening to enhance flexible conductor performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Biomimetics
Background:
- Commercialization of electronic skins requires cost-effective, robust flexible conductors.
- Metal films are promising but limited by poor stretchability due to cracking.
- Cracks in metal films are traditionally viewed as detrimental defects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate that controlled cracking can be an effective design parameter for metal film conductors.
- To develop a bioinspired, dual-scale architecture for enhanced metal film stretchability.
- To establish a multi-scale regulation paradigm for improving flexible conductor performance.
Main Methods:
- Exploiting the size effect in crack engineering for metal films.
- Implementing a bioinspired, dual-scale architecture involving nanoscale pore implantation and microscale substrate roughening.
- Programming tunable crack patterns within metal films by modulating structural parameters.
Main Results:
- Achieved up to 325% stretchability in metal film conductors.
- Demonstrated a nearly 25-fold regulation of stretchability through tunable film cracking.
- Constructed a stretchable metal film-based electronic skin with AI integration for practical sensing applications.
Conclusions:
- Controlled cracking, particularly via the size effect, is a pivotal strategy for manipulating metal film properties.
- The multi-scale regulation paradigm offers a novel route to enhance the performance of flexible conductors.
- The developed technology enables practical applications in diverse flexible sensing scenarios using AI-empowered electronic skins.
Keywords:
Artificial intelligenceFlexible conductorsFlexible sensorsHierarchicalStretchable conductorsStretchable electronics
