Stretchable microelectronics has garnered significant attention from research and industry due to its essential role in the realization of large-area wearable, epidermal and biomedical electronic applications. Approaches for stretchable electronics have been intensively investigated: geometric structure design has been used to impart stretchability to brittle materials and the intrinsically elastic electrode or semiconductor materials have been used directly as device components. Among these strategies, most efforts so far have concentrated on the design and preparation of an intrinsic elastic active layer with high charge carrier mobility. Despite significant technological advances in the realm of stretchable circuits, the development of stretchable electronics remains limited either by the elaborate synthesis process of intrinsically elastic semiconducting/conducting polymers or multi-step manufacturing processes. Thus, a simple and practical approach to stretchable devices is required.<br/>Here, we describe a self-organized versatile conjugated polymer film through interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) formation to significantly improve mechanical ductility and optical transparency, without affecting the film electronic conductivity, even under 100% strain. The IPN formed within the semiconducting films is crucial for the obtained enhanced ductility and charge-carrier mobility. Based on this versatile semiconducting film, we explored a new practical approach to directly integrate all the stretchable components for a large area transistor array through a simple single, mechanical peel-off step and solution processing. We demonstrate robust transistor arrays exhibiting charge carrier mobilities above 1.0 cm<sup>2</sup>/Vs with excellent durability, even under 100% strain. In addition, commercial p-channel and n-channel conjugated polymers confirmed the generality of this method.<br/>With future technological advances in the realms of wearable devices and circuits, the IPN strategy and process protocols are expected to bring stretchable electronic systems to a practical level and represent promising directions for industry-scale roll-to-roll production of stretchable and wearable electronic devices.

Self-organized interpenetrating polymer network in semiconducting films for stretchable electronics

255th National Meeting (2018)

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