Compliant thin film patterns of stiff materials as platforms for stretchable electronics

Teng Li, Zhigang Suo, Stephanie P. Lacour, Sigurd Wagner

Journal of Materials Research, 20, 3274-3277 (2005)

[img_assist|nid=270|title=|desc=(a) A piece of paper is cut into a serpentine. (b) When pulled, the serpentine elongates by twisting out of plane. (The reader may wish to try this experiment to see the serpentine twist in three dimensions.) |link=node|align=left|width=302|height=215]

A thin film of a stiff material, patterned as a serpentine on a flat elastomeric substrate, can elongate substantially when the substrate is pulled. We show that the film elongates by twisting out of plane, accommodated by the compliance of the substrate and the pattern of the film. Consequently, large elongations of the substrate induce small strains in the film, even when the width of the film is much larger than its thickness. Such a wide serpentine, or other compliant patterns of stiff materials, can serve as a platform on which electronic circuits can be fabricated. This architecture will make electronics elastically stretchable.

The paper is highlighted in the Research/Researcher section of MRS Bulletin, December 2005 issue. See here.

Preprint attached. DOI link of the paper is here.