Surface and Interfacial Engineering toward Durable Mechanically Coupled Flexible Electronics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Physics
• Electronics Engineering

Background:

• Mechanically coupled flexible electronics offer conformal mechanical signal monitoring.
• Interfacial reliability is critical for device durability and signal fidelity in dynamic environments.
• Challenges include unstable contact, mechanical/electrical mismatch, and environmental degradation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review fundamental surface and interfacial challenges in mechanically coupled flexible electronics.
• To explore material systems and architectures enhancing surface and interfacial performance.
• To discuss future directions for improved reliability and large-scale implementation.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of surface and interfacial physics challenges.
• Analysis of surface chemical modification and interfacial chemical engineering.
• Evaluation of processing- and manufacturing-enabled physical reinforcement approaches.

Main Results:

• Identified key factors limiting device durability: contact instability, interfacial failure, stress concentration, and environmental degradation.
• Reviewed strategies including bioinspired interfaces, mechanical interlocking, adhesive/buffering layers, and homogeneous structural design.
• Demonstrated improved reliability and functional stability in various applications.

Conclusions:

• Multiscale surface and interface engineering is crucial for advanced flexible electronics.
• Standardization, environmental robustness, and manufacturing repeatability are key future challenges.
• Further research is needed for large-scale implementation of reliable flexible electronic systems.