New Materials, Composites, and Designs for Stretchable and Wearable Electronics

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Transforming hard, rigid electronics into pliable devices that can conform to the contours of the human body will redefine the human-computer interaction, delivering electrical functions like biosensors, illumination, and energy storage to the human body. One approach to wearable electronics involves integrating electronic devices with soft, rubbery elastomers that can be laminated on the skin, intimately connecting devices with humans. Another approach integrates electronic devices with the textile fibers of clothing to make interacting with devices as simple as getting dressed. Both approaches face the challenge of mismatched mechanical properties of the electronic device materials, which are not intrinsically stretchable, and the soft rubber or textile substrates. ******Our research program aims to advance the field of soft, wearable electronics by developing new ways to integrate electronic materials and devices with elastomers and textiles. Our approach engineers the properties of the soft substrate to influence the mechanical and electrical response of electronic materials and devices deposited on the surface. This program will advance elastomer-based electronics by transforming the elastomeric substrate from a simple platform for stretchable devices into a multifunctional element that enhances the function of stretchable devices. Fusing a membrane of one elastomer onto the surface of a second combines the advantageous surface and bulk properties of the two elastomers; furthermore, the material that forms the interface between the two elastomers is a key synergistic element that will be exploited to favourably influence the function of stretchable materials and devices on the membrane surface. This program will also advance textile-based wearable devices by developing highly conductive and stretchable fabrics and fibers, using a low-cost, solution-based, scalable method that integrates high electrical conductivity while maintaining the soft, stretchable properties of the textile. The new stretchable and conductive textiles will be used to explore a wide range of innovative new devices, such as stretchable wiring integrated in clothing to connect devices, fiber-based strain sensors designed to detect body motion and measure vital signs like heartrate and respiration, and stretchable light-emitting fabrics and fibers, the ultimate integration of device functionality with clothing.