Large-area stretchable organic transistor integrated circuits for sensor and display applications

Stretchability significantly expands the scope of electronic applications-particularly large-area electronics such as displays, sensors, and actuators-because stretchable electronics can cover arbitrary surfaces and movable parts, which is impossible with conventional electronics. However, the realization of stretchable electronics for the manufacturing of electrical wiring with high conductivity, high stretchability, and large-area compatibility is a major hurdle. We manufactured printable elastic conductors comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) uniformly dispersed in fluorinated rubber. Using ionic liquid and jet milling, we produced longer and finer SWNT bundles that formed well-developed conducting networks in rubber. A conductivity and stretchability greater than 100 S/cm and 100%, respectively, were obtained. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the elastic conductors for electrical wiring, we manufactured a rubber-like large-area organic transistor active matrix comprising printed organic transistors and elastic conductors. The effective area of the matrix was 20 × 20 cm2. The active matrix sheet was uniaxially and biaxially stretched to 70% without incurring mechanical or electrical damage. Furthermore, we constructed a rubber-like stretchable active matrix display comprising integrated printed elastic conductors, organic transistors, and organic light-emitting diodes. The display could stretch by 30-50% and spread over a hemisphere without being mechanically or electrically damaged.

[1]  T. Someya,et al.  Sheet-Type Braille Displays by Integrating Organic Field-Effect Transistors and Polymeric Actuators , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[2]  K. Watson,et al.  Dispersion of single wall carbon nanotubes by in situ polymerization under sonication , 2002 .

[3]  Thomas N. Jackson,et al.  Pentacene organic thin-film transistors for circuit and display applications , 1999 .

[4]  Takuzo Aida,et al.  Molecular Ordering of Organic Molten Salts Triggered by Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes , 2003, Science.

[5]  T. Ichihashi,et al.  Single-shell carbon nanotubes of 1-nm diameter , 1993, Nature.

[6]  John A Rogers,et al.  Controlled buckling of semiconductor nanoribbons for stretchable electronics , 2006, Nature nanotechnology.

[7]  Kinji Asaka,et al.  Highly Conductive Sheets from Millimeter‐Long Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Ionic Liquids: Application to Fast‐Moving, Low‐Voltage Electromechanical Actuators Operable in Air , 2009 .

[8]  H. Klauk,et al.  Ultralow-power organic complementary circuits , 2007, Nature.

[9]  T. Someya,et al.  Conformable, flexible, large-area networks of pressure and thermal sensors with organic transistor active matrixes. , 2005, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[10]  Yang Yang,et al.  Patterning organic single-crystal transistor arrays , 2006, Nature.

[11]  Kwang S. Kim,et al.  Large-scale pattern growth of graphene films for stretchable transparent electrodes , 2009, Nature.

[12]  Takao Someya,et al.  A large-area, flexible pressure sensor matrix with organic field-effect transistors for artificial skin applications. , 2004, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[13]  W. R. Salaneck,et al.  Electroluminescence in conjugated polymers , 1999, Nature.

[14]  Thomas N. Jackson,et al.  All-organic active matrix flexible display , 2006 .

[15]  Takao Someya,et al.  Printed shadow masks for organic transistors , 2007 .

[16]  Heung Cho Ko,et al.  A hemispherical electronic eye camera based on compressible silicon optoelectronics , 2008, Nature.

[17]  T. Someya,et al.  A Rubberlike Stretchable Active Matrix Using Elastic Conductors , 2008, Science.

[18]  Zhiyong Tang,et al.  Integration of Conductivity, Transparency, and Mechanical Strength into Highly Homogeneous Layer-by-Layer Composites of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Optoelectronics , 2007 .

[19]  Peter Andersson,et al.  Active Matrix Displays Based on All‐Organic Electrochemical Smart Pixels Printed on Paper , 2002 .

[20]  G. Gelinck,et al.  Flexible active-matrix displays and shift registers based on solution-processed organic transistors , 2004, Nature materials.

[21]  K. Hata,et al.  Water-Assisted Highly Efficient Synthesis of Impurity-Free Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes , 2004, Science.

[22]  Yonggang Huang,et al.  Stretchable and Foldable Silicon Integrated Circuits , 2008, Science.

[23]  Z. Suo,et al.  Stretchable gold conductors on elastomeric substrates , 2003 .

[24]  T. Welton.  Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids. Solvents for Synthesis and Catalysis. , 1999, Chemical reviews.

[25]  Sigurd Wagner,et al.  Stretchable Interconnects for Elastic Electronic Surfaces , 2005, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[26]  V. R. Raju,et al.  Paper-like electronic displays: Large-area rubber-stamped plastic sheets of electronics and microencapsulated electrophoretic inks , 2001, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[27]  A. Yassar,et al.  All-Polymer Field-Effect Transistor Realized by Printing Techniques , 1994, Science.

[28]  Yonggang Huang,et al.  Materials and noncoplanar mesh designs for integrated circuits with linear elastic responses to extreme mechanical deformations , 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[29]  Vahid Mottaghitalab,et al.  Carbon‐Nanotube‐Reinforced Polyaniline Fibers for High‐Strength Artificial Muscles , 2006 .

[30]  C. Dimitrakopoulos,et al.  Organic Thin Film Transistors for Large Area Electronics , 2002 .

[31]  J. Rogers,et al.  A Stretchable Form of Single-Crystal Silicon for High-Performance Electronics on Rubber Substrates , 2006, Science.

[32]  T. Someya,et al.  A large-area wireless power-transmission sheet using printed organic transistors and plastic MEMS switches. , 2007, Nature materials.