Flexible, Stretchable, and Patchable Organic Devices Integrated on Freestanding Polymeric Substrates

Abstract

We present a novel technique for realizing an electrical circuit composed of organic devices on a highly flexible, stretchable, and patchable freestanding substrate, using a photo-curable polyurethaneacrylate (PUA) mixture. Substrate structure was designed under consideration of enhanced mechanical strength in addition to flexibility, stretchability, and adhesive properties. The designed components facilitate the fabrication of highly flexible and stretchable electrodes without additional photolithography or patterning processes, and the fabricated organic circuits are substantially free from structural stress and strain induced from the substrate deformation. High flexibility and adhesive properties also enable mounting of the organic circuits onto nonflat surfaces with conformal contact. In addition, high light transmissivity of PUA suggests strong potential for a wide range of optoelectronic applications. We anticipate that these results will be applied to the development of various flexible, stretchable, and patchable organic devices, which can lead to further applications in many fields of science and engineering. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 453-460