Highly stretchable polymer semiconductor films through the nanoconfinement effect

Soft and conformable wearable electronics require stretchable semiconductors, but existing ones typically sacrifice charge transport mobility to achieve stretchability. We explore a concept based on the nanoconfinement of polymers to substantially improve the stretchability of polymer semiconductors...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2017-01, Vol.355 (6320), p.59-64
Main Authors: Xu, Jie, Wang, Sihong, Wang, Ging-Ji Nathan, Zhu, Chenxin, Luo, Shaochuan, Jin, Lihua, Gu, Xiaodan, Chen, Shucheng, Feig, Vivian R., To, John W. F., Rondeau-Gagné, Simon, Park, Joonsuk, Schroeder, Bob C., Lu, Chien, Oh, Jin Young, Wang, Yanming, Kim, Yun-Hi, Yan, He, Sinclair, Robert, Zhou, Dongshan, Xue, Gi, Murmann, Boris, Linder, Christian, Cai, Wei, Tok, Jeffery B.-H., Chung, Jong Won, Bao, Zhenan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amorphous silicon
Chain dynamics
Chain mobility
Charge transport
Conducting polymers
Cracks
Crystallization
Deformation
Elastomers
Electronics
Electronics industry
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Mobility
Nanostructure
Photovoltaic cells
Polymer films
Polymers
Rubber
Semiconductor devices
Semiconductors
Strain
Stretchability
Thin films
Transistors
Trapping
Tubes
Wearable technology
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Summary:Soft and conformable wearable electronics require stretchable semiconductors, but existing ones typically sacrifice charge transport mobility to achieve stretchability. We explore a concept based on the nanoconfinement of polymers to substantially improve the stretchability of polymer semiconductors, without affecting charge transport mobility. The increased polymer chain dynamics under nanoconfinement significantly reduces the modulus of the conjugated polymer and largely delays the onset of crack formation under strain. As a result, our fabricated semiconducting film can be stretched up to 100% strain without affecting mobility, retaining values comparable to that of amorphous silicon. The fully stretchable transistors exhibit high biaxial stretchability with minimal change in on current even when poked with a sharp object. We demonstrate a skinlike finger-wearable driver for a light-emitting diode.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aah4496