The buckling of stiff film on a substrate had been of great interest as this response happen spontaneously and is self-organizing. This provides an unconventional, scalable and easy way to fabrication surfaces with tunable structures from the range of nanometers to micrometers. We optimized a process to fabricate stretchable electrodes by transferring wrinkled gold onto elastomer. We tested their electrochemical sensing functionality through detection of glucose concentration with or without strain. Results showed that the stretchable electrodes provide high sensitivity for the detection of glucose (860 ± 60 µA/mM.cm2), comparable to electrodes before transfer. The current detected was also consistent under strain. Investigation of the resistance indicates that the electrode configuration under strain is important as current running parallel to direction of strain is much more affected under tension. We also developed a fast and facile process to fabricate surfaces that consisted of wrinkles and nanoparticles. Using such surfaces, we tested the omniphobicity effect of hierarchical structures consisting of wrinkles and nanoparticles. Results show that all the fluorinated structured surfaces were hydrophobic, ranging from water contact angle of 125° for wrinkled surfaces to 155° for hierarchical surfaces. The surfaces that were either wrinkled or decorated with nanoparticles were oleophilic with low hexadecane contact angles (~26° and ~55° respectively). The combination of both structures achieved oleophobicity of more than 110°. The effectiveness of nanoparticles for low surface tension liquid were due to its re-entrant like structure. The omniphobic surfaces were also shown to be repellent to blood (>135°), making it a potential material for use medical devices. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Wrinkling is a phenomenon often seen in real life, such as on the skin of a dried plum or human. It is possible to fabricate such wrinkles through having a stiff thin film adhered to an elastic foundation and compressing the foundation. The wrinkles are useful for fabrication of stretchable electrodes as their structure allows the film to stretch without breaking through unfolding. Here, we fabricated stretchable electrodes by transferring such wrinkled structures onto elastic foundation. These stretchable electrodes are shown to be able to detect the concentration of glucose in solution even when stretched. These electrodes are important for creating wearable devices that can monitor glucose levels or other substance continuously. Wrinkles also work as part of hierarchical structure which are helpful for trapping air beneath droplets of fluids. Here we incorporate wrinkles with nanoparticles which helps to make surfaces repellent to both water and oil. Such a function is important for self-cleaning surfaces and can also be used for patterning of surfaces for selective deposition of fluid.

<p>Liquid alloy circuitry is an exciting new field of research. It is one of the technologies that strives to make a commercial production of reliable, stretchable circuits possible. The making of liquid alloy circuits is, today, a somewhat tedious handicraft that is time-consuming and not suited for mass production. In this diploma thesis a new method to produce liquid alloy circuitry is presented; print and roll. The circuits consists of Galinstan paths embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Conductive paths are printed in a two step sequence on semi-cured PDMS and then covered with uncured PDMS and exposed to a final curing step. Print and roll produces circuits that are of equal quality as the circuits made with the old method, with a speed and ease superior to the old method. Furthermore advantages and disadvantages with printing on partly cured PDMS substrates are discussed. Partly cured PDMS substrates is important for the print and roll process since it enables the use of uncured PDMS to cover the printed circuit. Using uncured PDMS as a cover-material makes it possible to print the circuits on flat substrates and to use a pick and place machine to place components on the circuit-paths. Some tests with pick and place placing of both large and small components were conducted with varying results.</p>

Liquid alloy circuitry is an exciting new field of research. It is one of the technologies that strives to make a commercial production of reliable, stretchable circuits possible. The making of liquid alloy circuits is, today, a somewhat tedious handicraft that is time-consuming and not suited for mass production. In this diploma thesis a new method to produce liquid alloy circuitry is presented; print and roll. The circuits consists of Galinstan paths embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Conductive paths are printed in a two step sequence on semi-cured PDMS and then covered with uncured PDMS and exposed to a final curing step. Print and roll produces circuits that are of equal quality as the circuits made with the old method, with a speed and ease superior to the old method. Furthermore advantages and disadvantages with printing on partly cured PDMS substrates are discussed. Partly cured PDMS substrates is important for the print and roll process since it enables the use of uncured PDMS to cover the printed circuit. Using uncured PDMS as a cover-material makes it possible to print the circuits on flat substrates and to use a pick and place machine to place components on the circuit-paths. Some tests with pick and place placing of both large and small components were conducted with varying results.

New technologies will require more and more compliant materials capable of conforming to curved surfaces, i.e., able to stretch and mechanically resist body motions for wearable and on-skin applications. In this regard, this work discusses strategies to induce stretchability in materials. We focused our attention on improving the elasticity of transparent conducting electrodes (TCE) based on PEDOT:PSS and semiconductors (active layer) for organic solar cells. Firstly, the introduction of DMSO and Zonyl as additives into PEDOT:PSS was shown to produce highly transparent conducting electrodes (FoM > 35) with low Young’s modulus and high carrier density. We investigated the relationship between the transport properties of PEDOT:PSS and the morphology and microstructure of its films. The combination of the two additives enhances the fibrillary nature and the aggregations of both PEDOT and PSS components of the films. Secondly, stretchable TCEs based on PEDOT:PSS were fabricated using an innovative approach that combines an interpenetrated polymer network-based on polyethylene oxide and Zonyl. The presence of three-dimensional matrix provided high electrical conductivity, elasticity, and mechanical recoverability. The potential of this electrode was demonstrated with indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-free solar cells with a power conversion efficiency similar to ITO. Finally, the research was completed by integrating a cross-linker or an elastomer into the active layer to enhance its stretchability while maintaining excellent photovoltaic performance. In particular, SEBS elastomer exhibited a tailored elasticity with various fullerene and non-fullerene blends: P3HT:PC61BM, PCE10:PC71BM and PCE13:IT-4F. This versatile approach highlights the ease of manufacturing and scalability achieved by the solution casting processes along with a high compatibility of acceptor and donor blends.

At present, one of the key challenges in the light-emitting diode (LED) packaging technology is light extraction due to the difference in index of refraction between LED chip and air. Silicone nanocomposites have been extensively researched for applications in LED encapsulant to reduce such difference in refractive index. It is well-known that silicone is desirable for LED encapsulant because of its optical transparency and photothermal resistance. However, not much has been accomplished to leverage the elastic properties of silicone for enabling a stretchable LED encapsulant. In this work, I aim to investigate the stretch ability of silicone/zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposites for LED packaging. Wurtzite ZnO nanoparticles were prepared in colloids and subjected to silane treatment. Effects of both ex situ and in situ silane treatment on the final mechanical and optical properties of the silicone/ZnO nanocomposites were examined. Silicone/ZnO nanocomposites exhibit significantly more compliant stress-strain behavior than silicone control. In particular, silicone/silane-treated ZnO nanocomposites show more serrated stress-strain curves. They also embrace higher transmittance than silicone/unmodified ZnO nanocomposites, indicating an improvement in the dispersion of the nanoparticles. It was found that the silicone/5% silane-treated ZnO nanocomposite prepared by an in situ method was able to deform over a range of up to 160%. The film made of this unique silicone/ZnO nanocomposite (~40 microns thick) exhibits transmittance >70% throughout the visible range.

No / This paper presents a novel method to prepare stretchable conductors and pressure sensors based on the gold/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) system. The gold films were sputtered onto structured PDMS surfaces produced with a photolithographic surface treatment with the aim of reducing tensile strains in the gold film. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy analyses showed that these 3D patterns reduce cracks and delaminations in the gold film. Electrical measurements indicate that the patterns also protect the films against repeated tensile cycling, although the un-patterned samples remained conducting as well after the completion of 120 cycles. The extrapolated resistivity value of the patterned sample (4.5 × 10−5 Ωcm) compares well with previously published data. SEM micrographs indicate that the pattern features deflect the cracks and therefore toughen the gold film. However, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle analyses indicate that the patterning process also slightly modifies the surface chemistry. This patterning method was used to prepare capacitive strain gauges with pressure sensitivity (ΔZ/Z)/P of 0.14 kPa−1 in the sub-kPa regime. Such stretchable and potentially conformal low-pressure sensors have not been produced before and could prove advantageous for many smart fabric applications.

With the advancement of silicon electronics under threat from physical limits to dimensional scaling, the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) released a white paper in 2008, detailing the ways in which the semiconductor industry can keep itself continually growing in the twenty-first century. Two distinct paths were proposed: More-Moore and More-than-Moore. While More-Moore approach focuses on the continued use of state-of-the-art, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology for next generation electronics, More-than-Moore approach calls for a disruptive change in the system architecture and integration strategies. In this doctoral thesis, we investigate both the approaches to obtain performance improvement in the state-of-the-art, CMOS electronics. We present a novel channel material, SiSn, for fabrication of CMOS circuits. This investigation is in line with the More-Moore approach because we are relying on the established CMOS industry infrastructure to obtain an incremental change in the integrated circuit (IC) performance by replacing silicon channel with SiSn. We report a simple, low-cost and CMOS compatible process for obtaining single crystal SiSn wafers. Tin (Sn) is deposited on silicon wafers in the form of a metallic thin film and annealed to facilitate diffusion into the silicon lattice. This diffusion provides for sufficient SiSn layer at the top surface for fabrication of CMOS devices. We report a lowering of band gap and enhanced mobility for SiSn channel MOSFETs compared to silicon control devices. We also present a process for fabrication of vertically integrated flexible silicon to form 3D integrated circuits. This disruptive change in the state-of-the-art, in line with the More-than-Moore approach, promises to increase the performance per area of a silicon chip. We report a process for stacking and bonding these pieces with polymeric bonding and interconnecting them using copper through silicon vias (TSVs). We report a process for fabricating through polymer vias (TPVs) facilitating the fabrication of sensor arrays and control electronics on the opposite sides of the same flexible polymer. Finally, we present a process to fabricate stretchable metallic thin films with up to 800% stretchability, and report two distinct applications for these devices which cannot be done using current techniques.

Just as conventional mechatronic systems rely on switches and relays, machines that are soft and elastically deformable will require compliant materials that can support field-controlled reconfiguration. In this dissertation, I present several novel approaches to shape programmability that primarily rely on condensed soft matter and are stimulated by electric or magnetic fields. I begin with electric-field-driven methods for achieving shape programmability of elastomer-based systems. These include dielectric elastomer actuators and electrostatic beams that undergo extreme stretch. Classical theories in elasticity and electrostatics are used to examine the mechanical responses and instabilities of these soft, hyperelastic systems. Such modeling techniques are also used to examine another switching mode based on the snap through behavior of a buckled ferromagnetic beam under magnetic load. I will then discuss a unique approach to shape programmability that is based on electrochemistry and exploits the coalescence and separation of anchored liquid metal drops. In this case, electrical signals under 10V are utilized to manipulate surface energies and transition between bi-stable states. Experiments and Surface Evolver simulations show that oxidation and reduction on opposing poles of the coalesced drops create an interfacial tension gradient that eventually leads to limit-point instability. Theory derived from bipolar electrochemistry and vertical electrical sounding predicts droplet motion and separation based on geometry and bath conductivity, facilitating the optimization of reconfigurable devices using this phenomenon. I conclude with the application of the bi-stable droplets to a simple toggle switch capable of changing circuit conductivity by over three orders of magnitude.

Soft material-enabled electronics can demonstrate extreme mechanical flexibility and stretchability. Such compliant, comfortable electronics allow continuous, long-term measurement of biopotentials on the skin. Manufacturing of the stretchable electronic devices is enabled by the recent development combining materials transfer printing and microfabrication. However, the existing method using inorganic materials and multi-layered polymers requires long material preparation time and expensive processing cost due to the requirement of microfabrication tools and complicated transfer printing steps. Here, this study develops a new fabrication method of soft electronics via a micro-replica-molding technique, which allows fast production, multiple use, and low cost by avoiding microfabrication and multiple transfer printing. The core materials, carbon nanomaterials integrated with soft elastomers, further reduces the entire production cost, compared to costly metals such as gold and silver, while offering mechanical compliance. Collectively, skin-wearable electrodes, designed by optimized materials and fabrication method enable a high-fidelity measurement of non-invasive electromyograms on the skin for advanced human-machine interface, targeting prosthesis.

Miniaturized stretchable electronic devices that can be bent and strained elastically without breaking, have drawn considerable research interest in recent years for wearable computers and integrated bio-sensor applications. Portable electrical power harvesting remains a critical challenge in flexible electronics materials. One proposed solution has been to convert waste heat from the human body into electricity using thermoelectric materials. Traditionally, however, these materials are brittle ceramic semiconductors with limited fracture resistance under deformation. The primary objective of this thesis is to address this challenge by fabricating and studying the mechanical, thermal and electrical performance of stretchable composites combining natural latex polymer with either metallic (Ni) or thermoelectric (InSb) powders. Ni-based and InSb-based latex specimens were synthesized with different powder concentrations up to 36 vol.%. The effects of the powder concentration on tensile elongation, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity of the composites were measured at ambient temperature. Strong dependences of mechanical and electrical properties on powder concentration were found. By contrast, thermal conductivity was observed to remain low at all concentrations, suggesting that the predominant heat transport process is through the low-conductivity latex matrix rather than the conductive particles. This thesis was conducted with the support of a Vermont Space Grant Consortium graduate research assistantship.