Highly conductive and ultrarobust elastic conductors for stretchable electronics.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42319939.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aee8109.
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Abstract
Elastic conductors are vital for flexible electronics, but the high filler concentrations conventionally required to achieve metallic conductivity severely degrade mechanical properties. Here, we report a poor solvent-induced interfacial self-assembly strategy to fabricate robust elastic conductors. This approach yields a resilient top polymer domain and a bottom liquid metal (LM) polymer interpenetrating conductive domain. Consequently, the conductors achieve exceptional conductivity (3.33 × 10<sup>6</sup> siemens per meter), extreme stretchability (>1400% strain), and high toughness (>30 megapascals) at a low LM loading (~15% volume proportion). By regulating the self-assembly behavior of LM nanoparticles in elastomers, our method overcomes the traditional trade-off between electrical and mechanical performance. Demonstrating its practical utility, we constructed a wireless stretchable system for monitoring the temperature and motion of living organisms, highlighting its broad applicability in high-performance wearable and implantable electronics.