Fully solution processed liquid metal features as highly conductive and ultrastretchable conductors

Liquid metal represents a highly conductive and inherently deformable conductor for the development of stretchable electronics. The widespread implementations of liquid metal towards functional sensors and circuits are currently hindered by the lack of a facile and scalable patterning approach. In this study, we report a fully solution-based process to generate patterned features of the liquid metal conductor. The entire process is carried out under ambient conditions and is generally compatible with various elastomeric substrates. The as-prepared liquid metal feature exhibits high resolution (100 mu m), excellent electrical conductivity (4.15 x 10(4)S cm(-1)), ultrahigh stretchability (1000% tensile strain), and mechanical durability. The practical suitability is demonstrated by the heterogeneous integration of light-emitting diode (LED) chips with liquid metal interconnects for a stretchable and wearable LED array. The solution-based technique reported here is the enabler for the facile patterning of liquid metal features at low cost, which may find a broad range of applications in emerging fields of epidermal sensors, wearable heaters, advanced prosthetics, and soft robotics.

Automated summary

This study presents a fully solution-based process for generating patterned features of liquid metal conductor with high resolution and excellent performance. The technique demonstrates practical suitability for a variety of applications in fields such as epidermal sensors, wearable heaters, advanced prosthetics, and soft robotics.