Kirigami-patterned highly stretchable conductors from flexible carbon nanotube-embedded polymer films

Abstract

Achieving stretchable conductors with high stretchability and stable conductivity is a great challenge but urgent for multifunctional electronics applications. A novel kirigami-patterned stretchable conductive film (KSCF) with a highly tunable structure is prepared by laser cutting composites of carbon nanotube (CNT) conductive networks and an elastic poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrate. The kirigami film with an optimal structure exhibits both superior ultimate elongation as high as 430% and stable conductivity under high strain levels even up to 380%. More impressively, it also possesses excellent reversibility from 0 to 400% strain after 5000 repeated stretching cycles with negligible hysteresis and unchanged conductivity. The stress finite element modelling results further demonstrate that the effective stress-absorption through structural transformation is able to greatly enhance the KSCF stretchability and dynamic electrical stability. The as-prepared highly stretchable films present huge potential for emerging applications in stretchable electronics, especially those operating at high strain levels.