Our research focuses on hybrid hard/soft materials and systems, which can create lots of interesting pehnomena and novel applications. Specifically, we study hybrid hard/soft materials and systems in three approaches

  • We develop devices and systems that utilize the advantages of both hard and soft materials, which cannot be achieved through conventional means.
  • We develop materials with unique properties that can only be realized through the combination of distinct properties of hard and soft materials.
  • We study fundamental mechanics of hybrid hard/soft systems that can advance our understanding of such systems and guide the design and optimization of devices and materials.

Stretchable Electronics

Stretchable electronics combine the electronic performance of conventional wafer-based semiconductor devices and mechanical properties of a rubber band, and thus can have very broad applications that are impossible for hard, planar integrated circuits that exist today. Examples range from surgical and diagnostic implements that integrate with the human body to provide advanced therapeutic capabilities, to structural health monitors and inspection systems for civil engineering. In this research thrust, we develop materials and devices for stretchable electronics, we also study fundamental mechanics to further our understanding of the underlying physics and to guide design and opimization.