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This content will become publicly available on June 2, 2024

Title: Autonomous alignment and healing in multilayer soft electronics using immiscible dynamic polymers

Self-healing soft electronic and robotic devices can, like human skin, recover autonomously from damage. While current devices use a single type of dynamic polymer for all functional layers to ensure strong interlayer adhesion, this approach requires manual layer alignment. In this study, we used two dynamic polymers, which have immiscible backbones but identical dynamic bonds, to maintain interlayer adhesion while enabling autonomous realignment during healing. These dynamic polymers exhibit a weakly interpenetrating and adhesive interface, whose width is tunable. When multilayered polymer films are misaligned after damage, these structures autonomously realign during healing to minimize interfacial free energy. We fabricated devices with conductive, dielectric, and magnetic particles that functionally heal after damage, enabling thin-film pressure sensors, magnetically assembled soft robots, and underwater circuit assembly.

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Award ID(s):
2145601 2142789
NSF-PAR ID:
10484260
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Science
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Science
Volume:
380
Issue:
6648
ISSN:
0036-8075
Page Range / eLocation ID:
935 to 941
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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