Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

A Novel Platform for In Vitro Cellular Stretching and Imaging
Published on: March 10, 2026
Biointegrated Multilayer Stretchable OLED Platform With Strain-Decoupled Architecture for Durable Phototherapeutic
Young Hyun Son1, Myeongheon Lee2, Jun-Yeop Song3
1School of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
To advance wearable medical technology beyond its current limits, stretchable organic light-emitting diode (SOLED) displays must become practical. Achieving this requires both mechanical softness and durable environmental protection, yet conventional SOLED platforms are limited by a resolution-stretchability trade-off and the fracture-prone nature of inorganic encapsulation layers. Here we report a multilayer SOLED architecture that separates light emission and mechanical deformation into vertically stacked planes. By decoupling emissive pixel islands from deformable interconnects, the design enables high-fill-factor pixel patterning while improving mechanical compliance and structural reliability. Finite-element analysis and experimental measurements show that the multilayer stack redistributes tensile strain into compliant elastomeric layers, delivering approximately 54% system-level stretchability. Stable electroluminescence is maintained under repeated loading and 50% uniaxial tensile strain. For outdoor and long-term operation, we further develop a hybrid encapsulation combining atomic-layer-deposited nanolaminate distributed Bragg reflector layers with parylene-C. The resulting barrier exhibits a barrier performance of 1.26 × 10- 6 g m- 2 day- 1, achieves 99.87% ultraviolet blocking, and preserves device operation under cyclic deformation and hygrothermal stress. In a murine wound-healing model, the SOLED patch conformally covered skin and accelerated healing by over 50% compared with controls, demonstrating its strong potential for wearable therapeutic applications.

