TY - JOUR
T1 - Conductive liquid metal elastomer thin films with multifunctional electro-mechanical properties
AU - Tahidul Haque, A. B.M.
AU - Tutika, Ravi
AU - Gao, Meng
AU - Martinez, Angel
AU - Mills, Julie
AU - Arul Clement, J.
AU - Gao, Junfeng
AU - Tabrizi, Mohsen
AU - Ravi Shankar, M.
AU - Pei, Qibing
AU - Bartlett, Michael D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd
PY - 2020/10
Y1 - 2020/10
N2 - Wearable electronics, conformable sensors, and soft/micro-robotics require conductive yet stretchable thin films. However, traditional free standing metallic thin films are often brittle, inextensible, and must be processed in strict environments. This limits implementation into soft technologies where high electrical conductivity must be achieved while maintaining high compliance and conformability. Here we show a liquid metal elastomeric thin film (LET) composite with elastomer-like compliance (modulus < 500 kPa) and stretchability (>700%) with metallic conductivity (sheet resistance < 0.1 Ω/□). These 30-70 µm thin films are highly conformable, free standing, and display a unique Janus microstructure, where a fully conductive activated side is accompanied with an opposite insulated face. LETs display exceptional electro-mechanical characteristics, with a highly linear strain-resistance relationship beyond 700% deformation while maintaining a low resistance. We demonstrate the multifunctionality of LETs for soft technologies by leveraging the unique combination of high compliance and electrical conductivity with transfer capabilities for strain sensing on soft materials, as compliant electrodes in a dielectric elastomeric actuator, and as resistive heaters for a liquid crystal elastomer.
AB - Wearable electronics, conformable sensors, and soft/micro-robotics require conductive yet stretchable thin films. However, traditional free standing metallic thin films are often brittle, inextensible, and must be processed in strict environments. This limits implementation into soft technologies where high electrical conductivity must be achieved while maintaining high compliance and conformability. Here we show a liquid metal elastomeric thin film (LET) composite with elastomer-like compliance (modulus < 500 kPa) and stretchability (>700%) with metallic conductivity (sheet resistance < 0.1 Ω/□). These 30-70 µm thin films are highly conformable, free standing, and display a unique Janus microstructure, where a fully conductive activated side is accompanied with an opposite insulated face. LETs display exceptional electro-mechanical characteristics, with a highly linear strain-resistance relationship beyond 700% deformation while maintaining a low resistance. We demonstrate the multifunctionality of LETs for soft technologies by leveraging the unique combination of high compliance and electrical conductivity with transfer capabilities for strain sensing on soft materials, as compliant electrodes in a dielectric elastomeric actuator, and as resistive heaters for a liquid crystal elastomer.
KW - Electrical conductivity
KW - Janus microstructures
KW - Liquid metal
KW - Stretchable electronics
KW - Thin films
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U2 - 10.1088/2399-7532/abbc66
DO - 10.1088/2399-7532/abbc66
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85098157981
SN - 2399-7532
VL - 3
JO - Multifunctional Materials
JF - Multifunctional Materials
IS - 4
M1 - abbc66
ER -