We systematically investigated the interesting electric response of the aligned CNT ribbons under mechanical strain. We found that CNTs slide on a PDMS substrate under tension, but buckle under compression (releasing). Such an irreversible mechanical deformation is responsible for the observed irreversibility in the electric resistance upon the first stretching/releasing.
F.Xu, W. Lu and Y. Zhu, ACS Nano, 2011, 5 (1), pp 672–678.
An interview by ACS Nano (Episode 42: January 2011),
A review paper on stretchable electronics written by Professors John A. Rogers, Takao Someya, and Yonggang Huang was published in a recent issue of Science . This paper gives a nice summary on the recent advances in inorganic and organic stretchable electronics. Materials, structures and mechanics of these systems are discussed. Many attractive applications of stretchable electronics are introduced, such as stretchable silicon circuit, electronic eyeball camera, and flexible LED display.
