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Rubbery transistors array. (A) An optical image of the fabricated high-performance rubbery transistors array. Inset is the exploded schematic view. (B) Representative output characteristics of the m-CNT-doped rubbery transistors. (C) Representative transfer characteristics of the m-CNT-doped rubbery transistors. (D) Calculated FE map of the 8 by 8 transistor array. (E) Transistor arrays under different mechanical deformation modes.
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An intrinsically stretchable rubbery semiconductor with high mobility is critical to the realization of high-performance stretchable electronics and integrated devices for many applications where large mechanical deformation or stretching is involved. Here, we report fully rubbery integrated electronics from a rubbery semiconductor with a high effe...
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... array (8 by 8) of rubbery transistors fabricated on the basis of the solution process is shown in Fig. 2A. The detailed fabrication process is described in the Materials and Methods and is schematically illustrated in fig. S9. The representative output and transfer curves are exhibited in Fig. 2 (B and C, respectively), showing typical p-channel transistor characteristics. We note that we observed slight hysteresis ( fig. S10) by scanning ...
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... array (8 by 8) of rubbery transistors fabricated on the basis of the solution process is shown in Fig. 2A. The detailed fabrication process is described in the Materials and Methods and is schematically illustrated in fig. S9. The representative output and transfer curves are exhibited in Fig. 2 (B and C, respectively), showing typical p-channel transistor characteristics. We note that we observed slight hysteresis ( fig. S10) by scanning the gate voltage forward and backward. This hysteresis from the ion gel-gated transistor is similar to those reported elsewhere (40,41), which can be further improved by reducing the ...
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... and backward. This hysteresis from the ion gel-gated transistor is similar to those reported elsewhere (40,41), which can be further improved by reducing the thickness of semiconducting layer and scan rate (42). The transistors can be repeatedly fabricated, and the devices in the array operated normally and reliably with a high yield of 100% (Fig. 2D). We calculated the FE and V TH of the transistors on the basis of the linear regime of these transfer curves (see the Sup- plementary Materials for details). The highest FE in the array is 9.76 cm 2 /V·s, and the average FE is 7.30 cm 2 /V·s. Note that we cal- culated FE on the basis of the specific capacitance of the ion gel ...
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... respectively. Figure 2E shows various modes of mechanical deformation of the rubbery transistor array, including stretching, poking, and crumpling. Given the rubbery nature of the materials, the transistor array is similar to a piece of rubber and sustains mechanical deformations without any physical damage. ...
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... V DD of −1 V and V GS of −3 V as a word line were supplied. Figure 5 (F and G) shows two examples of touching with pressure applied through objects as indicated in the red dashed areas. The circuit diagram for output voltage measurement and the dynamic output voltage change during cyclic pressing and releasing of a single cell are shown in fig. S20 (A and B, respectively). Figure 5 (H and J) shows the map of the output voltage obtained from each pixel, indicating that the pressed pixels had high voltage. The active matrix was further stretched by 30% and released along and perpendicular to channel length direc- tion. The measured output voltages (Fig. 5, I and K) show no sub- ...
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Polymer semiconductors (PSCs) are an essential component of organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs), but their potential for stretchable electronics is limited by their brittleness and failure susceptibility upon strain. Herein, a covalent connection of two state‐of‐the‐art polymers—semiconducting poly‐diketo‐pyrrolopyrrole‐thienothiophene (PDPP‐T...
Citations
... P3HT was dissolved in DCM to form a 4 mg/mL solution at 80 °C, then cooled at -25 °C for an hour to yield P3HT-NFs [24,25] . The P3HT-NFs solution was mixed with PDMS in DCM (80 mg/mL) at a weight ratio of 1:4, producing the P3HT-NFs/PDMS composite, which was then stored at -25 °C. ...
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... These advantages encompass the capability to conform to and accommodate the shape of the object under scrutiny, coupled with a streamlined structure, enhanced sensitivity, an extensive operational range, rapid reaction capabilities, and robust stability under varying conditions. Therefore, flexible strain sensors have garnered significant interest due to their broad applicability in areas such as human activity and health monitoring、electronic skin (E-skin) [1-7], robotics, prosthetics [8][9][10][11][12], and human-machine interfaces [13][14][15][16][17][18]. ...
... The development of stretchable metallic nanocomposites based on gold, silver, copper and liquid metal (LM) is also of interest due to their high conductivity as interconnections 2,4,[12][13][14] . In addition, polymer-based stretchable semiconductors with reasonable charge transport characteristics can serve as backbone materials for stretchable transistors and optoelectronic devices [15][16][17] . ...
Soft, stretchable and biocompatible conductors are required for on-skin and implantable electronics. Laser-induced graphene (LIG) can offer tuneable physical and chemical properties, and is of particular value in the development of monolithically integrated multifunctional stretchable bioelectronics. However, fabricating LIG-based nanocomposites with thin features and stretchable performance remains challenging. Here we report a thin elastic conductive nanocomposite that is formed by cryogenically transferring LIG to a hydrogel film. The low-temperature atmosphere enhances the interfacial bonding between the defective porous graphene and the crystallized water within the hydrogel. Using the hydrogel as an energy dissipation interface and out-of-plane electrical path, continuously deflected cracks can be induced in the LIG leading to an over fivefold enhancement in intrinsic stretchability. We use the approach to create multifunctional wearable sensors for on-skin monitoring and cardiac patches for in vivo detection.
... Organic electronic materials have been used to implement various electronic devices [12][13][14][15] . The synthesis, use and disposal of these materials can though adversely affect the environment and human health. ...
Flexible organic electronics can be used to create wearable devices but the synthesis of organic electronic materials typically involves hazardous solvents, creates toxic by-products and has various other environmental and economic costs. Being able to recycle organic electronic materials and devices in an eco-friendly and economical manner is thus key for their application in sustainable wearable electronics. Here we report organic flexible electronic devices with closed-loop recycling of each component. We develop approaches to recapture and reuse organic conductors, semiconductors and gate dielectrics, and evaluate the reliability of the recycled materials. Our fabrication and recycling processes also use only eco-friendly solvents (water, anisole and acetone). We illustrate the capabilities of the approach with various recyclable organic flexible electronic devices, including electrophysiological sensing electrodes, keypads, heaters/temperature sensors, electrochemical transistors and inverters. We also develop a sustainable device cycle by reconstructing various organic flexible electronics, which are fabricated using recycled materials from different functional devices without further replenishment.
... The researchers developed composite materials to fabricate a sensor with enhanced sensitivity and durability, enabling precise detection and control of pressure changes. In the realm of integrated electronics, Sim et al. [68] presented a groundbreaking approach using high-effective-mobility, intrinsically stretchable semiconductors. Their fully rubbery integrated electronics demonstrated exceptional stretchability, allowing for seamless integration with curvilinear surfaces and conformal attachment to the human body. ...
Elastic strain sensor nanocomposites are emerging materials of high scientific and commercial interest. This study analyzes the major factors influencing the electrical behavior of elastic strain sensor nanocomposites. The sensor mechanisms were described for nanocomposites with conductive nanofillers, either dispersed inside the polymer matrix or coated onto the polymer surface. The purely geometrical contributions to the change in resistance were also assessed. The theoretical predictions indicated that maximum Gauge values are achieved for mixture composites with filler fractions slightly above the electrical percolation threshold, especially for nanocomposites with a very rapid conductivity increase around the threshold. PDMS/CB and PDMS/CNT mixture nanocomposites with 0–5.5 vol.% fillers were therefore manufactured and analyzed with resistivity measurements. In agreement with the predictions, the PDMS/CB with 2.0 vol.% CB gave very high Gauge values of around 20,000. The findings in this study will thus facilitate the development of highly optimized conductive polymer composites for strain sensor applications.
... Therefore, in this work fully stretchable bilayer photodetectors were designed and constructed using the n-type ESE stack and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanofibrils in PDMS (P3HT-NFs-PDMS) as n-type and p-type semiconductors, respectively. It is noted that the P3HT-NFs-PDMS has rubber-like mechanical properties, as reported previously [35][36][37] . Figure 4g,h shows a schematic illustration and optical image, respectively, of the fully stretchable photodetector. ...
Elastic integrated electronics are of potential use in a range of emerging applications, particularly those that require devices that can form an interface with soft biological tissue. The development of such devices has typically focused on the creation of stretchy p-type semiconductors, and the lack of suitable stretchy n-type semiconductors limits the potential of stretchable integrated systems. Here we show that a brittle n-type organic semiconductor can be made mechanically stretchable by integrating into a stack with an elastomer–semiconductor–elastomer architecture. The structure suppresses the formation and propagation of microcracks and can be stretched by up to 50% with negligible loss of performance. It also improves the long-term stability of the semiconductor in an ambient environment. We use the n-type elastomer–semiconductor–elastomer stack, together with other stretchy electronic materials, to build elastic transistors, digital logic gates, complementary electronics, p–n photodetectors and an active matrix multiplexed deformable imager.
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Highlights A stretchable strain sensor based on continuous fiber reinforced auxetic structures was fabricated. The multi-material direct ink writing process greatly simplified the manufacturing process and realized the integrated fabricated of auxetic sensor. The auxetic structure of sensor was printed with continuous fiber reinforced elastomer to balance the rigidity and flexibility of the composite. The piezoresistive sensitivity was greatly improved with the assist of the auxetic structure. ABSTRACT Stretchable strain sensors play a key role in motion detection and human-machine interface functionality, and deformation control. However, their sensitivity is often limited by the Poisson effect of elastic substrates. In this study, a stretchable strain sensor based on a continuous-fiber-reinforced auxetic structure was proposed and fabricated using a direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing process. The application of multi-material DIW greatly simplifies the fabrication process of a sensor with an auxetic structure (auxetic sensor). The auxiliary auxetic structure was innovatively printed using a continuous-fiber-reinforced polydimethylsiloxane composite (Fiber-PDMS) to balance the rigidity and flexibility of the composite. The increase in stiffness enhances the negative Poisson's ratio effect of the auxetic structure, which can support the carbon nanotube-polydimethylsiloxane composite (CNT-PDMS) stretchable sensor to produce a significant lateral expansion when stretched. It is shown that the structural Poisson's ratio of the sensor decreased from 0.42 to −0.33 at 20% tensile strain, and the bidirectional tensile strain increases the sensor sensitivity by 2.52 times (gauge factor to 18.23). The Fiber-PDMS composite maintains the excellent flexibility of the matrix material. The auxetic sensor exhibited no structural damage after 150 cycles of tension and the signal output exhibited high stability. In addition, this study demonstrates the significant potential of auxetic sensors in the field of deformation control.
... g Transistor arrays under different mechanical deformation such as stretching, poking, and crumpling. Reproduced with permission [396]. Copyright (2019), American Association for the Advancement of Science. ...
... Copyright (2018), Springer Nature Compared with the inorganic semiconductor, the organic semiconductors are not only flexible but also stretchable. Sim et al. developed fully rubbery integrated electronics and logic, which can still work when stretched by 50% [396]. The metallic CNT (m-CNT) doped P3HT-nanofibrils (NFs) is exploited as the rubbery semiconductor. ...
Due to the development of the novel materials, the past two decades have witnessed the rapid advances of soft electronics. The soft electronics have huge potential in the physical sign monitoring and health care. One of the important advantages of soft electronics is forming good interface with skin, which can increase the user scale and improve the signal quality. Therefore, it is easy to build the specific dataset, which is important to improve the performance of machine learning algorithm. At the same time, with the assistance of machine learning algorithm, the soft electronics have become more and more intelligent to realize real-time analysis and diagnosis. The soft electronics and machining learning algorithms complement each other very well. It is indubitable that the soft electronics will bring us to a healthier and more intelligent world in the near future. Therefore, in this review, we will give a careful introduction about the new soft material, physiological signal detected by soft devices, and the soft devices assisted by machine learning algorithm. Some soft materials will be discussed such as two-dimensional material, carbon nanotube, nanowire, nanomesh, and hydrogel. Then, soft sensors will be discussed according to the physiological signal types (pulse, respiration, human motion, intraocular pressure, phonation, etc.). After that, the soft electronics assisted by various algorithms will be reviewed, including some classical algorithms and powerful neural network algorithms. Especially, the soft device assisted by neural network will be introduced carefully. Finally, the outlook, challenge, and conclusion of soft system powered by machine learning algorithm will be discussed.
... Compared to the conventional rigid electronic devices, flexible wearable devices (FWDs) with the desirable flexibility and stretchability are more portable and compatible with human tissues such as skin during body movement [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Nevertheless, FWDs attached to skin are exposed to the outside environment and are prone to bacteria attachment and colonization, which can lead to skin and respiratory infection [8,9]. ...
The power generated by flexible wearable devices (FWDs) is normally insufficient to eradicate bacteria, and many conventional antibacterial strategies are also not suitable for flexible and wearable applications because of the strict mechanical and electrical requirements. Here, polypyrrole (PPy), a conductive polymer with a high mass density, is used to form a nanostructured surface on FWDs for antibacterial purposes. The conductive films with PPy nanorods (PNRs) are found to sterilize 98.2 ± 1.6% of Staphylococcus aureus and 99.6 ± 0.2% of Escherichia coli upon mild electrification (1 V). Bacteria killing stems from membrane stress produced by the PNRs and membrane depolarization caused by electrical neutralization. Additionally, the PNR films exhibit excellent biosafety and electrical stability. The results represent pioneering work in fabricating antibacterial components for FWDs by comprehensively taking into consideration the required conductivity, mechanical properties, and biosafety.
... Although leading to significant improvements in the stretchability of semiconductors, molecular design engineering involves complex chemical synthesis steps, hindering large-scale applications. Physical blending is a simple and effective method for preparing high-performance stretchable organic semiconductors, including the blending of conjugated polymers with elastomers [23,[39][40][41][42][43] or molecular additives [44]. In blended systems, phase separation has an important effect on stretchability and electrical properties. ...
Stretchable organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are fundamental components of organic integrated circuits and wearable biosensors. Stretchable organic semiconductors are core materials to realize high-mobility stretchable OFETs. Achieving polymer semiconductors with both high mobility and high stretchability is an urgent challenge. In this work, high-mobility stretchable semiconducting blend films were prepared by blending a polymer semiconductor with an elastomer. The polymer forms unique nanofibers through the nanoconfinement effect. The as-prepared blend films have low crystallinity and high aggregation degree, resulting in high stretchability and high mobility. Remarkably, the fully stretchable organic transistors exhibit hole maximum mobilities of 2.74 and 2.53 cm2 V−1 s−1 at 0% and 100% strain, respectively. Even at 150% strain, stretchable transistors have a maximum mobility of 1.57 cm2 V−1 s−1. The stretchable transistors show high mechanical robustness during 1000 stretching-releasing cycles at 30% strain.
