Self-Healing Kirigami Assembly Strategy for Conformal Electronics

Conformal integration of electronics on complex curvilinear surfaces remains challenging, especially for those devices made of non-stretchable materials. Transforming as-fabricated planar sheets onto curved surfaces requires the materials to be flexible and stretchable, which is intrinsically in conflict with the nature of non-stretchable materials. Here, a novel assembly strategy for conformal electronics is proposed that utilizes kirigami design at the structural level for the non-stretchable planar sheets to conformally and completely wrap the curved surfaces, and employs self-healing materials to connect the sheets at the seams. Conductive self-healing materials are used to ensure the electrical conductivity of the functional materials so as to assure device functionality. The transformation from a planar kirigami sheet to a sphere surface demonstrates this strategy, which is designed and predicted by theoretical and numerical studies and realized by experiments. Simple examples such as a conformal heater and a multifunctional wind sensing system on a spherical surface demonstrate the wide potential applications of the proposed strategy.

Automated summary

A novel assembly strategy utilizing kirigami design and self-healing materials is proposed for conformal integration of electronics on complex curvilinear surfaces, allowing non-stretchable materials to wrap around curved surfaces and maintain electrical conductivity for functional materials. The transformation from planar kirigami sheets to spherical surfaces is demonstrated and the strategy shows potential applications through examples like a conformal heater and a wind sensing system.