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- Title
Highly stretchable metal-polymer hybrid conductors for wearable and self-cleaning sensors.
- Authors
Yoon, Sunyoung; Kim, Yong Jun; Lee, Yu Rim; Lee, Nae-Eung; Won, Yoochan; Gandla, Srinivas; Kim, Sunkook; Kim, Han-Ki
- Abstract
We fabricated semitransparent and stretchable hybrid Ag-polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) conductors on a polyurethane (PU) substrate for use in high-performance wearable and self-cleaning sensors. The highly conductive Ag metal and stretchable PTFE polymer matrix were cosputtered, embedding the self-formed Ag in the PTFE matrix. Depending on the cosputtering RF and DC power ratio, the Ag-PTFE conductors showed a sheet resistance of 3.09–17.23 Ω/square and an optical transparency of 25.27–38.49% at a wavelength of 550 nm. Under the optimal cosputtering conditions, the Ag-PTFE electrode showed outstanding stretchability (strain 20%) and reversible hysteresis, enabling the production of stretchable and semitransparent conductors. In addition, the very small critical inward/outward bending radius near 1 mm and the hydrophobic surface indicate that the Ag-PTFE films could also be applied in wearable and self-cleaning devices. The suitability of the high stretchability and low sheet resistance of the sputtered Ag-PTFE conductor was verified by using it as a stretchable interconnector for commercial ELs, LEDs, and strain sensors. We applied the Ag-PTFE film as a semitransparent conductor for stretchable touch panels and electromyography sensors. Cosputtered Ag-PTFE films are promising stretchable conductors for a variety of applications in next-generation wearable devices. Composites: Stretchable electrodes find their silver lining A conductive material created by combining metals with Teflon-like polymers can improve the stability of touch panels and wearable sensors. Han-Ki Kim and colleagues from Sungkyunkwan University in Suwon, South Korea, report that magneton sputtering, a technique that bombards surfaces with energetic ions, can be used to produce thin polytetrafluoroethylene films infused with narrow channels of silver atoms. Investigations revealed that this material remained highly conductive even after being stretched repeatedly, avoiding the fracturing problems commonly seen when metals are deposited on top of plastic substrates. The team used the new composite as flexible electrodes in a variety of applications including wrist sensors that detect a range of human motion, and forearm-attached electromyography sensors. The silver-filled polymer also had natural water-repelling properties that could be used to make devices with self-cleaning surfaces. Stretchable and wearable Ag-PTFE conductors were fabricated by the simple and mature co-sputtering process with variations in the DC/RF power ratio applied to the Ag and PTFE target. A stretching test was conducted 40% strain under all conditions and reversible to confirm that the hysteresis and stretchability were good for DC 5 W:RF 40 W.
- Subjects
WEARABLE technology; POLYTEF; TOUCH screens; STRAIN sensors; HYDROPHOBIC surfaces; RANGE of motion of joints; HYSTERESIS
- Publication
NPG Asia Materials, 2021, Vol 12, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1884-4049
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41427-020-00277-6