Inspenet July 30, 2023.
Technology is advancing at a rapid pace and one of the most promising areas is flexible electronic devices . These include both wearable technology and soft robotics and are designed to be “stretchable” and flexible, making them ideal for a variety of applications from healthcare to robotics.
Flexible electronics: innovation in sight
A team of researchers has made a significant advance in this field, using a liquid metal known as eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) to fabricate key components of these devices. This liquid metal has exceptional conductive, deformable, and “stretchable” properties, making it an ideal material for flexible electronics.
In the past, the manufacture of flexible electrodes and interconnects has presented significant challenges. Traditional methods have involved the use of conventional metal serpentine patterns or flexible conducting materials, but these approaches have their limitations. EGaIn, on the other hand, offers a potentially superior solution, although its liquid state has presented challenges in terms of stability and conductivity.
The research team, led by Gun-Hee Lee of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), has developed an innovative process that overcomes these challenges. They have found a way to coat EGaIn microparticles with a polymer, creating a stable conductive film. This process enables large-scale fabrication of flexible electronic devices , using conventional electronic fabrication techniques.
Furthermore, the team has found that the use of an organic solvent makes it easy to apply these liquid metal particles directly onto the device substrate. This discovery simplifies the manufacturing process and improves production efficiency.
This breakthrough represents an important milestone in the field of flexible electronics. By imposing stability on an “unstable” liquid metal, researchers have shown that it is possible to make “elastic” circuit boards. This development opens the door to a new generation of soft electronic devices, which could revolutionize healthcare, robotics , and other areas of technology.
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