Soft-matter capacitors and inductors for hyperelastic strain sensing and stretchable electronics

We introduce a family of soft-matter capacitors and inductors composed of microchannels of liquid-phase gallium-indium-tin alloy (galinstan) embedded in a soft silicone elastomer (Ecoflex® 00-30). In contrast to conventional (rigid) electronics, these circuit elements remain electronically functiona...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Smart materials and structures 2013-05, Vol.22 (5), p.55023
Main Authors: Fassler, A, Majidi, C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Exact sciences and technology
General equipment and techniques
Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy
Physics
Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.)
remote sensing
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Summary:We introduce a family of soft-matter capacitors and inductors composed of microchannels of liquid-phase gallium-indium-tin alloy (galinstan) embedded in a soft silicone elastomer (Ecoflex® 00-30). In contrast to conventional (rigid) electronics, these circuit elements remain electronically functional even when stretched to several times their natural length. As the surrounding elastomer stretches, the capacitance and inductance of the embedded liquid channels change monotonically. Using a custom-built loading apparatus, we experimentally measure relative changes in capacitance and inductance as a function of stretch in three directions. These experimental relationships are consistent with theoretical predictions that we derive with finite elasticity kinematics.
ISSN:0964-1726
1361-665X
DOI:10.1088/0964-1726/22/5/055023