Characterization of strain tolerance in electronic materials to improve the flexibility of solar cells and other electronic devices

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Electronic devices have become ubiquitous in the developed world, with many of us never moving more than a few meters from the nearest device. To supplement this electronic arsenal, consumers are now demanding flexible or stretchable versions of their electronic devices, and the marketplace is just beginning to see the appearance of such things as flexible mobile phones and e-readers. Building on my expertise in organic electronics and mechanical characterization, this research program will build toward improved electronic devices that are increasingly resilient to mechanical deformation. A group of students and I will develop new techniques to track how the properties of key electronic materials change as they are mechanically deformed. These techniques will certainly include electrical measurements, but we will also track the evolution of optical properties during deformation. These optical properties are highly relevant for any devices that involve light (including solar cells, light emitting diodes, displays, and the like), yet surprisingly little is known about their response to mechanical deformation. Armed with this new knowledge, we will fabricate materials and devices that are more strain tolerant than their predecessors (i.e., more bendable, stretchable or twistable). We will make strain-tolerant solar cells our primary target, but the discoveries will also certainly be relevant to other devices such as flexible displays, touch screens, or batteries. We will develop these improved materials and devices on the short term, and ultimately, we can expect to see consumer products take to the market such as “solar-integrated tarps” that can be stretched like a sail when deployed or stuffed in a compact pouch for storage, or even medical diagnostic devices integrated directly on high strain internal organs like the lungs or heart.