Fully rubbery Schottky diode and integrated devices

A fully rubbery stretchable diode, particularly entirely based on stretchy materials, is a crucial device for stretch-able integrated electronics in a wide range of applications, ranging from energy to biomedical, to integrated circuits, and to robotics. However, its development has been very nascent. Here, we report a fully rubbery Schottky diode constructed all based on stretchable electronic materials, including a liquid metal cathode, a rubbery semiconductor, and a stretchable anode. The rubbery Schottky diode exhibited a forward current density of 6.99 x 10-3 A/cm2 at 5 V and a rectification ratio of 8.37 x 104 at +/- 5 V. Stretchy rectifiers and logic gates based on the rubbery Schottky diodes were developed and could retain their electrical performance even under 30% tensile stretching. With the rubbery diodes, fully rubbery integrated electronics, including an active matrix multiplexed tactile sensor and a triboelectric nanogenerator-based power management system, are further demonstrated.

Automated summary

In this study, a fully rubbery Schottky diode is developed using stretchable electronic materials, including a liquid metal cathode, a rubbery semiconductor, and a stretchable anode. The diode exhibits high forward current density and rectification ratio, and retains its electrical performance even under large tensile stretching. This research demonstrates the potential of fully rubbery integrated electronics.