A Molecular Design Approach Towards Elastic and Multifunctional Polymer Electronics

Authors

Yu Zheng, Stanford UniversityFollow
Zhiao Yu, Stanford UniversityFollow
Song Zhang, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Xian Kong, Stanford UniversityFollow
Wesley Michaels, Stanford UniversityFollow
Weichen Wang, Stanford UniversityFollow
Gan Chen, Stanford University
Deyu Liu, Stanford UniversityFollow
Jian Cheng Lai, Stanford UniversityFollow
Nathaniel Prine, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Weimin Zhang, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Shayla Nikzad, Stanford UniversityFollow
Christopher B. Cooper, Stanford University
Donglai Zhong, Stanford UniversityFollow
Jaewan Mun, Stanford UniversityFollow
Zhitao Zhang, Stanford UniversityFollow
Jiheong Kang, Stanford UniversityFollow
Jeffrey B.H. Tok, Stanford UniversityFollow
Iain McCulloch, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Jian Qin, Stanford UniversityFollow
Xiaodan Gu, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Zhenan Bao, Stanford UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2021

School

Polymer Science and Engineering

Abstract

Next-generation wearable electronics require enhanced mechanical robustness and device complexity. Besides previously reported softness and stretchability, desired merits for practical use include elasticity, solvent resistance, facile patternability and high charge carrier mobility. Here, we show a molecular design concept that simultaneously achieves all these targeted properties in both polymeric semiconductors and dielectrics, without compromising electrical performance. This is enabled by covalently-embedded in-situ rubber matrix (iRUM) formation through good mixing of iRUM precursors with polymer electronic materials, and finely-controlled composite film morphology built on azide crosslinking chemistry which leverages different reactivities with C–H and C=C bonds. The high covalent crosslinking density results in both superior elasticity and solvent resistance. When applied in stretchable transistors, the iRUM-semiconductor film retained its mobility after stretching to 100% strain, and exhibited record-high mobility retention of 1 cm2 V−1 s−1 after 1000 stretching-releasing cycles at 50% strain. The cycling life was stably extended to 5000 cycles, five times longer than all reported semiconductors. Furthermore, we fabricated elastic transistors via consecutively photo-patterning of the dielectric and semiconducting layers, demonstrating the potential of solution-processed multilayer device manufacturing. The iRUM represents a molecule-level design approach towards robust skin-inspired electronics.

Publication Title

Nature Communications

Volume

12

Issue

1

First Page

1

Last Page

11

Recommended Citation

Zheng, Y., Yu, Z., Zhang, S., Kong, X., Michaels, W., Wang, W., Chen, G., Liu, D., Lai, J., Prine, N., Zhang, W., Nikzad, S., Cooper, C., Zhong, D., Mun, J., Zhang, Z., Kang, J., Tok, J., McCulloch, I., Qin, J., Gu, X., Bao, Z. (2021). A Molecular Design Approach Towards Elastic and Multifunctional Polymer Electronics. Nature Communications, 12(1), 1-11.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/19364