Toward data-enabled process optimization of deformable electronic polymer-based devices

The development of new material systems is often an exercise in multi-objective optimization with an insurmountable number of design variables. Experiments generally rely on Edisonian approaches that only focus on a small segment of the total design space. The rise of materials informatics approaches provides a new paradigm to advance materials development but requires accurate descriptions of complex experimental data that are often unstandardized and incomplete. The field of deformable polymer-based electronic devices is an example system requiring desirable electrical and mechanical properties. In this article, advancements in the fabrication of deformable devices are presented with emphasis on process-structure-property relationships of the active, conjugated semiconducting polymer layer. Progress on materials informatics applied to experimental systems is then presented. Holistic, systematic approaches that encompass all data in a uniform and standard format provide an opportunity to rapidly advance materials development.