Journal ArticleDOI
Stretchable nanoparticle conductors with self-organized conductive pathways
Yoonseob Kim,Jian Zhu,Bongiun Yeom,Matthew Di Prima,Xianli Su,Jin-Gyu Kim,Seung-Ho Jo Yoo,Ctirad Uher,Nicholas A. Kotov +8 more
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TLDR
Stretchable conductors of polyurethane containing spherical nanoparticles deposited by either layer-by-layer assembly or vacuum-assisted flocculation are demonstrated, demonstrating the electronic tunability of mechanical properties, which arise from the dynamic self-organization of the nanoparticles under stress.Abstract:
Research in stretchable conductors is fuelled by diverse technological needs. Flexible electronics, neuroprosthetic and cardiostimulating implants, soft robotics and other curvilinear systems require materials with high conductivity over a tensile strain of 100 per cent (refs 1-3). Furthermore, implantable devices or stretchable displays need materials with conductivities a thousand times higher while retaining a strain of 100 per cent. However, the molecular mechanisms that operate during material deformation and stiffening make stretchability and conductivity fundamentally difficult properties to combine. The macroscale stretching of solids elongates chemical bonds, leading to the reduced overlap and delocalization of electronic orbitals. This conductivity-stretchability dilemma can be exemplified by liquid metals, in which conduction pathways are retained on large deformation but weak interatomic bonds lead to compromised strength. The best-known stretchable conductors use polymer matrices containing percolated networks of high-aspect-ratio nanometre-scale tubes or nanowires to address this dilemma to some extent. Further improvements have been achieved by using fillers (the conductive component) with increased aspect ratio, of all-metallic composition, or with specific alignment (the way the fillers are arranged in the matrix). However, the synthesis and separation of high-aspect-ratio fillers is challenging, stiffness increases with the volume content of metallic filler, and anisotropy increases with alignment. Pre-strained substrates, buckled microwires and three-dimensional microfluidic polymer networks have also been explored. Here we demonstrate stretchable conductors of polyurethane containing spherical nanoparticles deposited by either layer-by-layer assembly or vacuum-assisted flocculation. High conductivity and stretchability were observed in both composites despite the minimal aspect ratio of the nanoparticles. These materials also demonstrate the electronic tunability of mechanical properties, which arise from the dynamic self-organization of the nanoparticles under stress. A modified percolation theory incorporating the self-assembly behaviour of nanoparticles gave an excellent match with the experimental data.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Layer-by-layer assembly of multifunctional porous N-doped carbon nanotube hybrid architectures for flexible conductors and beyond.
Songfang Zhao,Yongju Gao,Jinhui Li,Guoping Zhang,Chunyi Zhi,Libo Deng,Rong Sun,Ching-Ping Wong +7 more
TL;DR: A scalable strategy to incorporate various functional nanomaterials with N-doped CNTs (N-CNTs) into such 3D porous CHAs on the polyurethane (PU) sponge skeletons via layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is reported.
Journal ArticleDOI
Hydrogen-bonded polymer nanocomposites containing discrete layers of gold nanoparticles
TL;DR: This work demonstrates for the first time the spray-assisted layer-by-layer assembly (LbL) of hydrogen-bonding polymer nanocomposites of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) containing discrete regions of AuNPs vertically positioned throughout the film structure.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mechanical-optical-electro modulation by stretching a polymer-metal nanocomposite
TL;DR: The simultaneous investigation of both the plasmonic resonance and electrical conductance evolution in stretchable metal-polymer nanocomposite films is reported, finding a redshift of the gold nanoparticle plAsmon peak upon stretching as well as a strong correlation between the pl asmonic peak wavelength and the nanocomPOSite electrical resistance.
Journal ArticleDOI
Fabrication and interfacial characteristics of surface modified Ag nanoparticle based conductive composites
TL;DR: In this paper, surface modification of the conductive metal fillers is required to achieve a good dispersion within the matrix to obtain suitable conductivity and sensing properties, and it would be critical to ensure that the inclusion of these fillers does not affect the curing of the pre-polymers so as to ensure sufficient filler loading to form functional composites.
Journal ArticleDOI
Highly Stretchable Variable‐Transmittance Skin for Ultrasensitive and Wearable Strain Sensing
TL;DR: In this paper, a strain-induced transmittance change in the TiO2 nanoparticles embedded in silicone film for realizing ultrasensitive strain detection is reported, which can be easily mounted on human skin for achieving wearable strain sensing to realize motion detection of fingers.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Carbon Nanotubes--the Route Toward Applications
TL;DR: Many potential applications have been proposed for carbon nanotubes, including conductive and high-strength composites; energy storage and energy conversion devices; sensors; field emission displays and radiation sources; hydrogen storage media; and nanometer-sized semiconductor devices, probes, and interconnects.
Journal ArticleDOI
Fuzzy Nanoassemblies: Toward Layered Polymeric Multicomposites
TL;DR: In this article, a general approach for multilayers by consecutive adsorption of polyanions and polycations has been proposed and has been extended to other materials such as proteins or colloids.
Journal ArticleDOI
Materials and mechanics for stretchable electronics
TL;DR: Inorganic and organic electronic materials in microstructured and nanostructured forms, intimately integrated with elastomeric substrates, offer particularly attractive characteristics, with realistic pathways to sophisticated embodiments, and applications in systems ranging from electronic eyeball cameras to deformable light-emitting displays are described.
Journal ArticleDOI
Skin-like pressure and strain sensors based on transparent elastic films of carbon nanotubes
Darren J. Lipomi,Michael Vosgueritchian,Benjamin C. K. Tee,Sondra L. Hellstrom,Jennifer A. Lee,Courtney H. Fox,Zhenan Bao +6 more
TL;DR: Transparent, conducting spray-deposited films of single-walled carbon nanotubes are reported that can be rendered stretchable by applying strain along each axis, and then releasing this strain.
Journal ArticleDOI
Stretchable active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display using printable elastic conductors
Tsuyoshi Sekitani,Hiroyoshi Nakajima,Hiroki Maeda,Takanori Fukushima,Takuzo Aida,Kenji Hata,Takao Someya +6 more
TL;DR: The manufacture of printable elastic conductors comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) uniformly dispersed in a fluorinated rubber is described, which is constructed a rubber-like stretchable active-matrix display comprising integrated printed elastic conductor, organic transistors and organic light-emitting diodes.