Stretchable Electronics Based on PDMS Substrates

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. e2003155 - n/a
• Main Authors: Qi, Dianpeng, Zhang, Kuiyuan, Tian, Gongwei, Jiang, Bo, Huang, Yudong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2021
• Subjects: Chemical properties; Elastic deformation; Elastic properties; elastic substrates; Electronics; Healing; Materials science; Polydimethylsiloxane; self‐healing devices; soft electronics; Strain distribution; stretchable electronics; Substrates; Thermal stability; soft electronics; self-healing devices; elastic substrates; stretchable electronics
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202003155

Stretchable electronics, which can retain their functions under stretching, have attracted great interest in recent decades. Elastic substrates, which bear the applied strain and regulate the strain distribution in circuits, are indispensable components in stretchable electronics. Moreover, the self‐healing property of the substrate is a premise to endow stretchable electronics with the same characteristics, so the device may recover from failure resulting from large and frequent deformations. Therefore, the properties of the elastic substrate are crucial to the overall performance of stretchable devices. Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is widely used as the substrate material for stretchable electronics, not only because of its advantages, which include stable chemical properties, good thermal stability, transparency, and biological compatibility, but also because of its capability of attaining designer functionalities via surface modification and bulk property tailoring. Herein, the strategies for fabricating stretchable electronics on PDMS substrates are summarized, and the influence of the physical and chemical properties of PDMS, including surface chemical status, physical modulus, geometric structures, and self‐healing properties, on the performance of stretchable electronics is discussed. Finally, the challenges and future opportunities of stretchable electronics based on PDMS substrates are considered. Elastic substrates, especially poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrates, are indispensable components for emerging stretchable electronics. Detailed design concepts and fabrication strategies for structured, patterned, and self‐healing PDMS substrates, and their contributions in enhancing the mechanical performance of stretchable electronics are discussed. Future perspectives and challenges in the development of stretchable and self‐healing PDMS substrates are highlighted.