Stretchable and compressible thin films of stiff materials on compliant wavy substrates

This letter presents experimental, numerical, and analytical studies of Au thin films on elastomeric substrates of poly (dimethylsiloxane) that are designed with sinusoidal, wavy features of surface relief. Such systems can be useful as stretchable conductors in electronic or sensory devices. The maximum film strain is obtained in terms of film and substrate elastic moduli, film thickness, amplitude and wavelength of the wavy profile, and the applied strain. These analytical solutions agree well with both finite element analysis and experimentally measured changes in the sinusoidal profile under small, uniaxial strains. A simple expression for the system stretchability and compressibility is established. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.