Stretchable and Compressible Conductors

We developed stretchable Au thin films on elastomeric substrates of polydimethylsiloxane that are designed with sinusoidal, “wavy” features of surface relief. This approach eliminates the compressive strains introduced into the thin films through commonly adopted buckling approach, and therefore can provide both high stretchability and compressibility. Such systems can be useful as stretchable conductors in electronic or sensory devices.

References:

• Xiao et al., Stretchable and Compressible Thin Films of Stiff Materials on Compliant Wavy Substrates. Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 013109 (2008)

• Xiao et al., Analytical and Experimental Studies of the Mechanics of Deformation in a Solid with a Wavy Surface Profile. Journal of Applied Mechanics-Transactions of the ASME 77, 011003 (2010).