Maskless Fabrication of Highly Conductive and Ultrastretchable Liquid Metal Features through Selective Laser Activation

In the rising field of stretchable electronics, liquidmetals areideal candidate conductors with metallic conductivity and intrinsicdeformability. The complex patterning methods of liquid metal featureshave limited their widespread applications. In this study, we reporta maskless fabrication approach for the facile and scalable patterningof liquid metal conductors on an elastomer substrate. Laser-activatedpatterns are employed as versatile templates to define arbitrary liquidmetal patterns. The as-prepared liquid metal features show an excellentconductivity of 3.72 x 10(4) S/cm, a high resolutionof 70 mu m, ultrahigh stretchability of up to 1000% strain, andelectromechanical durability. The practical suitability of liquidmetal conductors is demonstrated by fabricating a stretchable light-emittingdiode (LED) matrix and a smart sensing glove. The maskless fabricationtechnique introduced here allows versatile patterning of liquid metalconductors with affordable costs, which may stimulate a broad rangeof applications in stretchable electronic devices and systems.

Automated summary

In this study, a facile and scalable patterning method for liquid metal conductors on an elastomer substrate is reported. Laser-activated patterns are used as versatile templates to define arbitrary liquid metal patterns. The as-prepared liquid metal features show excellent conductivity, high resolution, ultrahigh stretchability, and electromechanical durability. The practical suitability of liquid metal conductors is demonstrated by fabricating a stretchable LED matrix and a smart sensing glove. The maskless fabrication technique introduced here allows versatile patterning of liquid metal conductors with affordable costs, which may stimulate a broad range of applications in stretchable electronic devices and systems.