Fractal design concepts for stretchable electronics

Jonathan A. Fan, Woon-Hong Yeo, Yewang Su, Yoshiaki Hattori, Woosik Lee, Sung-Young Jung, Yihui Zhang, Zhuangjian Liu, Huanyu Cheng, Leo Falgout, Mike Bajema, Todd Coleman, Dan Gregoire, Ryan J. Larsen, Yonggang Huang and John A. Rogers ()
Additional contact information
Jonathan A. Fan: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Woon-Hong Yeo: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Yewang Su: Center for Engineering and Health, Skin Disease Research Center, Northwestern University
Yoshiaki Hattori: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Woosik Lee: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Sung-Young Jung: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Yihui Zhang: Center for Engineering and Health, Skin Disease Research Center, Northwestern University
Zhuangjian Liu: Institute of High Performance Computing, A*Star
Huanyu Cheng: Center for Engineering and Health, Skin Disease Research Center, Northwestern University
Leo Falgout: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mike Bajema: University of California, San Diego
Todd Coleman: University of California, San Diego
Dan Gregoire: HRL Laboratories, LLC
Ryan J. Larsen: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Yonggang Huang: Center for Engineering and Health, Skin Disease Research Center, Northwestern University
John A. Rogers: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Stretchable electronics provide a foundation for applications that exceed the scope of conventional wafer and circuit board technologies due to their unique capacity to integrate with soft materials and curvilinear surfaces. The range of possibilities is predicated on the development of device architectures that simultaneously offer advanced electronic function and compliant mechanics. Here we report that thin films of hard electronic materials patterned in deterministic fractal motifs and bonded to elastomers enable unusual mechanics with important implications in stretchable device design. In particular, we demonstrate the utility of Peano, Greek cross, Vicsek and other fractal constructs to yield space-filling structures of electronic materials, including monocrystalline silicon, for electrophysiological sensors, precision monitors and actuators, and radio frequency antennas. These devices support conformal mounting on the skin and have unique properties such as invisibility under magnetic resonance imaging. The results suggest that fractal-based layouts represent important strategies for hard-soft materials integration.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4266

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