Highly conductive and ultrarobust elastic conductors for stretchable electronics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Elastic conductors are crucial for flexible electronics but face challenges with high filler concentrations degrading mechanical properties.
• Achieving metallic conductivity in elastic materials often involves a trade-off between electrical performance and mechanical robustness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel strategy for fabricating robust elastic conductors with high conductivity and stretchability.
• To overcome the conventional limitations in elastic conductors by decoupling electrical and mechanical performance.

Main Methods:

• A poor solvent-induced interfacial self-assembly strategy was employed to create a unique polymer-liquid metal (LM) interpenetrating network.
• The self-assembly behavior of LM nanoparticles within elastomers was regulated to control material properties.

Main Results:

• The fabricated conductors exhibit exceptional conductivity (3.33 × 10^6 S/m) and extreme stretchability (>1400% strain).
• The materials demonstrate high toughness (>30 MPa) at a low LM loading of approximately 15% volume proportion.
• The strategy successfully balanced electrical and mechanical properties, overcoming the traditional trade-off.

Conclusions:

• The poor solvent-induced interfacial self-assembly method provides a viable route to high-performance elastic conductors.
• The developed conductors show potential for advanced applications in wearable and implantable electronics, including a demonstrated wireless stretchable monitoring system.