3D printing interface-modified PDMS/MXene nanocomposites for stretchable conductors

Skin-compatible printed stretchable conductors that combine a low gauge factor with a high durability over many strain cycles are still a great challenge. Here, a graphene nanoplatelet-based colloidal ink utilizing a skin-compatible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) binder with adjustable rheology is developed. Stretchable conductors that remain conductive even under 100% strain and demonstrate high fatigue resistance to cyclic strains of 20–50% are realized via printing on TPU. The sheet resistances of these conductors after drying at 120 °C are as low as 34 Ω □–1 mil–1. Furthermore, photonic annealing at several energy levels is used to decrease the sheet resistance to <10 Ω □–1 mil–1, with stretchability and fatigue resistance being preserved and tunable. The high conductivity, stretchability, and cyclic stability of printed tracks having excellent feature definition in combination with scalable ink production and adjustable rheology bring the high-volume manufacturing of stretchable wearables into scope.

/pdf/printed-stretchable-graphene-conductors-for-wearable-2x1mtosa.pdf

Printed Stretchable Graphene Conductors for Wearable Technology

Recent decades have witnessed the booming development of stretchable electronics based on nano/micro composite inks. Printing is a scalable, low-cost, and high-efficiency fabrication tool to realize stretchable electronics through additive processes. However, compared with conventional flexible electronics, stretchable electronics need to experience more severe mechanical deformation which may cause destructive damage. Most of the reported works in this field mainly focus on how to achieve a high stretchability of nano/micro composite conductors or single working modules/devices, with limited attention given to the reliability for practical applications. In this minireview, we summarized the failure modes when printing stretchable electronics using nano/micro composite ink, including dysfunction of the stretchable interconnects, the stress-concentrated rigid-soft interfaces for hybrid electronics, the vulnerable vias upon stretching, thermal accumulation, and environmental instability of stretchable materials. Strategies for tackling these challenges to realize reliable performances are proposed and discussed. Our review provides an overview on the importance of reliable, printable, and stretchable electronics, which are the key enablers in propelling stretchable electronics from fancy demos to practical applications.

Reliability of printed stretchable electronics based on nano/micro materials for practical applications.

The production of flexible electronic systems includes stretchable electrical interconnections and flexible electronic components, promoting the research and development of flexible conductors and stretchable conductive materials with large bending deformation or torsion resistance. Silver nanowires have the advantages of high conductivity, good transparency and flexibility in the development of flexible electronic products. In order to further prepare system-level flexible systems (such as autonomous full-software robots, etc.), it is necessary to focus on the conductivity of the system’s composite conductor and the robustness of the system at the physical level. In terms of conductor preparation processes and substrate adhesion strategies, the more commonly used solutions are selected. Four kinds of elastic preparation processes (pretensioned/geometrically topological matrix, conductive fiber, aerogel composite, mixed percolation dopant) and five kinds of processes (coating, embedding, changing surface energy, chemical bond and force, adjusting tension and diffusion) to enhance the adhesion of composite conductors using silver nanowires as current-carrying channel substrates were reviewed. It is recommended to use the preparation process of mixed percolation doping and the adhesion mode of embedding/chemical bonding under non-special conditions. Developments in 3D printing and soft robots are also discussed.

/pdf/silver-nanowire-based-elastic-conductors-preparation-1tw0z2d7.pdf

Silver-Nanowire-Based Elastic Conductors: Preparation Processes and Substrate Adhesion

Wearable devices with excellent mechanical stretchability, comparable to that of human skin, are highly desirable for preventing discomfort and dermatitis. Composite material systems that use metal particles and elastomers are promising for realizing intrinsic stretchable electrodes with high conductivity and enhancing mechanical flexibility of wearable devices. However, it is challenging to achieve stable device performance under mechanical deformation using stretchable electrodes. In this study, stretchable electrodes with enhanced conductivity and stretchability are developed and integrated with organic transistors to fabricate a stretchable printed circuit board (PCB) that acts as a voltage amplifier under large strains. The stretchable electrodes are composed of silver microparticles, a small quantity of silver nanowires (AgNWs), and an elastomer matrix, which demonstrated a conductivity of 8.5 × 103 S cm−1 at a curing temperature of 100 °C. The observed conductivity was 3.6 times higher than that of electrodes without AgNWs. Owing to the addition of AgNWs, the durability strain in cyclic stretching increased from 10% to 75%; the increment can be attributed to the suppression of microcrack propagation. Moreover, the proposed stretchable PCB was applied to fabricate a voltage amplifier, which enabled stable amplification by 14 times under 0% and 75% strain owing to a mechanical rigid-soft patterning designed into the substrate according to the rigidness of the mounted components. The stabilization technologies in the proposed stretchable PCB can contribute to the development of wearable devices for long-term usage to assist the early detection of diseases.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2058-8585/ac968c/pdf

Stretchable printed circuit board integrated with Ag-nanowire-based electrodes and organic transistors toward imperceptible electrophysiological sensing

Stretchable conductors are receiving increasing attention due to their potential applications in wearable electronics. Highly stretchable conductors are fabricated using composites of silver nanowires (Ag NWs) and flakes on elastic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. The resistance of the Ag NW/flake composite conductor decreases to 1.9 × 10−4 Ohm·cm and increases by only 1.8 times after 100 stretch/release cycles at 100% peak strain. The improved conductivity and stretchability of the composite conductors are due to the synergy between the Ag NWs and Ag flakes because the Ag NWs connect the Ag flakes as conductive cables and the Ag flakes fill the gaps among the Ag NWs. Robust Ag NW/flake conductors are promising candidate for wearable electronics.

Highly stretchable conductors comprising composites of silver nanowires and silver flakes

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Highly stretchable conductors comprising composites of silver nanowires and silver flakes