“We are developing the design rules for a new generation of plastic–or, better, rubber–electronics for applications in energy, biomedical devices, wearable and conformable devices”
Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego are asking what might be possible if semiconductor materials were flexible and stretchable without sacrificing electronic function?
Today’s flexible electronics are already enabling a new generation of wearable sensors and other mobile electronic devices. But these flexible electronics, in which very thin semiconductor materials are applied to a thin, flexible substrate in wavy patterns and then applied to a deformable surface such as skin or fabric, are still built around hard composite materials that limit their elasticity.
Writing in the journal Chemistry of Materials, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering professor Darren Lipomi reports on several new discoveries by his team that could lead to electronics that are “molecularly stretchable.”
Lipomi compared the difference between flexible and stretchable electronics to what would happen if you tried to wrap a basketball with either a sheet of paper or a thin sheet of rubber. The paper would wrinkle, while the rubber would conform to the surface of the ball.
“We are developing the design rules for a new generation of plastic–or, better, rubber–electronics for applications in energy, biomedical devices, wearable and conformable devices for defense applications, and for consumer electronics,” said Lipomi. “We are taking these design rules and doing wet chemistry in the lab to make new semiconducting rubber materials.”
While flexible electronics based on thin-film semiconductors are nearing commercialization, stretchable electronic materials and devices are in their infancy. Stretchable electronic materials would be conformable to non-planar surfaces without wrinkling and could be integrated with the moving parts of machines and the body in a way that materials exhibiting only flexibility could not be. For example, one of the chief applications envisioned by Lipomi is a low cost “solar tarp” that can be folded up for packaging and stretched back out to supply low cost energy to rural villages, disaster relief operations and the military operating in remote locations. Another long-term goal of the Lipomi lab is to produce electronic polymers whose properties–extreme elasticity, biodegradability, and self-repair–are inspired by biological tissue for applications in implantable biomedical devices and prosthetics.
Lipomi has been studying why the molecular structures of these “rubber” semiconductors cause some to be more elastic than others. In one project published recently in the journal Macromolecules, the Lipomi lab discovered that polymers with strings of seven carbon atoms attached produce exactly the right balance of stretchability and functionality. That balance is key to producing devices that are “flexible, stretchable, collapsible and fracture proof.”
Lipomi’s team has also created a high-performance, “low-bandgap” elastic semiconducting polymer using a new synthetic strategy the team invented. Solid polymers are partially crystalline, which gives them good electrical properties, but also makes the polymer material stiff and brittle. By introducing randomness in the molecular structure of the polymer, Lipomi’s lab increased its elasticity by a factor of two without decreasing the electronic performance of the material. Their discovery, published in RSC Advances, is also useful for applications in stretchable and ultra-flexible devices.
The Latest on: Stretchable electronics
via Google News
The Latest on: Stretchable electronics
- Stretchable and Conformal Electronics Market is expected to reach $603.5 million by 2027 – An exclusive market research report by Lucintelon May 19, 2022 at 2:35 pm
"Trends and Forecast for the Global Stretchable and Conformal Electronics Market"Trends, opportunities and forecast in stretchable and conformal ...
- Global Electronic Skin Market Report to 2027 - Featuring 3M, Dialog Semiconductor and Plastic Electronic Among Others - ResearchAndMarkets.comon May 16, 2022 at 3:56 am
The "Global Electronic Skin Market Size & Share to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
- Picosun solution enables stretchable organic electronics manufacturing on large scaleon May 12, 2022 at 4:07 am
Organic electronics enable everyday devices such as displays, lighting and sensors to have high energy efficiency, light weight and low manufacturing costs.
- Stretchable Battery Market High Trend Opportunities Offers Future Business Growth by 2030on May 11, 2022 at 9:35 pm
... manufacturers is expected to drive the growth and of the stretchable battery market segment in the upcoming years. Also, these flexible batteries are used in consumer electronics and energy ...
- Stretchable Electronics Market Size Drivers and Key Players Strategies Analyzed 2022-2031on May 6, 2022 at 2:46 am
The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content. Japan, Japan, Fri, 06 May 2022 09:44:22 / Comserve Inc. / -- Stretchable Electronics Market With Top Countries ...
- New stretchable polymer extends design possibilities of wearable electronicson May 4, 2022 at 5:01 pm
Using this stretchable resin as a base material ... as it shifts the design equation from bulky devices to electronics that are easier to apply to the skin, more like a Band-Aid than a watch. The ...
- Soft, Stretchable Laser-Induced Graphene Sensor for Wearable Electronicson May 2, 2022 at 3:40 pm
Stretchable devices and substrates obtained through structural and material design are critical for wearable electronics. The maximum strain of LIG-based sensors fabricated on PI films is less than ...
- Flexible electronics get brighteron April 22, 2022 at 12:02 pm
The results show promise for the development of bright, sustainable, stretchable devices for ... (2022, April 22). Flexible electronics get brighter: A luminescent material shines brighter by ...
via Bing News