Stretchable and Wearable Electrochromic Devices

We developed the stretchable wiring made from oriented short conductive fibers and applied it to a stretchable pressure sensor. The short fibers were mechanically oriented on an elastic substrate/film across the long wiring axis of wiring. The stretchable wiring with 5 mm in width had 17.0 X in initial resistance per 1 cm in length and the change in its resistance was only 214 % at 100 % elongation. Even if the wiring is stretched in the long axis direction, the short fibers form junctions with other fibers, thereby retaining their electric conductivity. A stretchable pressure sensor sheet, which is sensitive to pressure in the vertical direction and insensitive to elongation in the horizontal direction, was also successfully developed using the stretchable wiring and elastomer films. These sensor cells sensitively measured the pressure up to ca. 64 kPa. This sensor sheet was demonstrated as a shoe insole pressure sensing system and the sensor system could detect a pressure distribution from soles to adapt to its deformation.

Many studies have accompanied the emergence of a great interest in flexible or/and stretchable devices for new applications in wearable and futuristic technology, including human-interface devices, robotic skin, and biometric devices, and in optoelectronic devices. Especially, new nanodimensional materials enable flexibility or stretchability to be brought based on their dimensionality. Here, the emerging field of flexible devices is briefly introduced using silver nanowires and graphene, which are famous nanomaterials for the use of transparent conductive electrodes, as examples, and their unique functions originating from the intrinsic property of these nanomaterials are highlighted. It is thought that this work will evoke more interest and idea exchanges in this emerging field and hopefully can trigger a breakthrough on a new type of optoelectronics and optogenetic devices in the near future.

Stretchable electroluminescent (EL) devices are a new form of mechanically deformable electronics that are gaining increasing interests and believed to be one of the essential technologies for next generation lighting and display applications. Apart from the simple bending capability in flexible EL devices, the stretchable EL devices are required to withstand larger mechanical deformations and accommodate stretching strain beyond 10%. The excellent mechanical conformability in these devices enables their applications in rigorous mechanical conditions such as flexing, twisting, stretching, and folding.The stretchable EL devices can be conformably wrapped onto arbitrary curvilinear surface and respond seamlessly to the external or internal forces, leading to unprecedented applications that cannot be addressed with conventional technologies. For example, they are in demand for wide applications in biomedical-related devices or sensors and soft interactive display systems, including activating devices for photosensitive drug, imaging apparatus for internal tissues, electronic skins, interactive input and output devices, robotics, and volumetric displays. With increasingly stringent demand on the mechanical requirements, the fabrication of stretchable EL device is encountering many challenges that are difficult to resolve. In this review, recent progresses in the stretchable EL devices are covered with a focus on the approaches that are adopted to tackle materials and process challenges in stretchable EL devices and delineate the strategies in stretchable electronics. We first introduce the emission mechanisms that have been successfully demonstrated on stretchable EL devices. Limitations and advantages of the different mechanisms for stretchable EL devices are also discussed. Representative reports are reviewed based on different structural and material strategies. Unprecedented applications that have been enabled by the stretchable EL devices are reviewed. Finally, we summarize with our perspectives on the approaches for the stretchable EL devices and our proposals on the future development in these devices.