Stretchable transparent conductive elastomers for skin-integrated electronics

Abstract

Electrodes with good mechanical and electrical properties serve as the key component for realizing high-performance flexible electronics. Here, we introduce a low-cost and scalable method with precise pattern control for producing intrinsically stretchable and transparent conductive elastomers based on silver nanowires (Ag NWs). The optimized electrodes in this work exhibit great transparence over 78%, a low sheet resistance of ∼18 Ω sq⁻¹ and remarkable mechanical properties without significant conductivity loss upon thousands of cycles of stretching, twisting, bending and pressing. The transparent Ag NWs can be precisely patterned onto a soft substrate at a microscale level and form a stretchable circuit. A skin-integrated electronic device with a 6 × 6 tactile sensor array was developed based on the resulting transparent and stretchable flexible circuit, indicating the possibility of the low lost and large area fabrication of electronic skin.