High-resolution intrinsically stretchable quantum-dot displays through thermally assisted intaglio transfer printing

Intrinsically stretchable light-emitting devices are promising for wearable displays, soft robotics and skin-mounted optoelectronics but are limited by the trade-off between mechanical softness, charge injection and pixel definition. Stretchable quantum-dot emissive layers offer narrow, colour-tunable emission from quantum-confined nanocrystals, yet elastomeric matrices introduce insulating barriers and viscoelastic deformation that compromise efficiency and high-resolution patterning. Here we report ligand engineering at the interface and thermally assisted intaglio film transfer printing (LIFT), a strategy for high-definition intrinsically stretchable quantum-dot light-emitting diodes. Selective replacement of the polymer-rich surface of quantum-dot nanocomposites with polar short-chain ligands forms a nanoscale interfacial region that lowers the hole-injection barrier while preserving bulk mechanical compliance. Thermal assistance concentrates strain at pattern boundaries, allowing clean cleavage of soft emissive films into high-fidelity pixel arrays. The devices achieve external quantum efficiencies of up to 23.9% in conventional architectures and fully stretchable QLEDs with a luminance of 53,300 cd m⁻², an external quantum efficiency of 8.0% and stretchability beyond 65%. The method further produces arrays up to 16,000 pixels per inch and stretchable 12 × 12 multicolour passive-matrix displays.