Stretchable gold conductors on elastomeric substrates

Stripes of thin gold films are made on an elastomeric substrate with built-in compressive stress to form surface waves. Because these waves can be stretched flat they function as elastic electrical conductors. Surprisingly, we observe electrical continuity not only up to an external strain of similar to2% reached by stretching the films first flat (similar to0.4%) and then to the fracture strain of free-standing gold films (similar to1%), but up to similar to22%. Such large strains will permit making stretchable electric conductors that will be essential to three-dimensional electronic circuits. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.