Credit: Roh et al., Natural electronics (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-023-01089-6
Over the past few decades, electronics engineers have created devices of varying shapes and increasingly sophisticated designs. This includes electronic devices that can be folded in on themselves, such as foldable phones, as well as various other compressible devices.
Researchers from Ajou University and other institutes in South Korea recently introduced a new design to develop recoverable electronic components, or in other words, electronic components capable of returning to their original shape after have been crumpled or compressed on themselves to reduce their size. This design, described in an article published in Natural electronicsis inspired by the mechanism that allows butterflies to spread their wings when they leave their cocoon.
“Nature is rich with different plants and animals, each of which has survived by adapting and evolving in extreme environments,” Seungyong Han, co-author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. “Personally, I always believed that by carefully observing these phenomena we could find clues to solve various problems in modern society. Furthermore, by approaching this from a technical point of view, I believed we could obtain results that can improve people’s daily lives.”
Before the butterfly is born, its wings are folded and folded into a cocoon. Notably, inside the cocoon, the wings are wetted with a biological fluid, which prevents them from being damaged while they are still wrinkled. When a butterfly emerges from its cocoon, the fluid evaporates, allowing it to slowly unfold its wings, causing the wrinkles they presented when folded to dissipate.
Han and his colleagues decided to create an electronic design inspired by this natural wing deployment mechanism. To do this, they first created a composite material with variable stiffness.
The hardness and softness of this material can be controlled without requiring additional substances. This makes it promising for the development of flexible and robust electronics that do not exhibit creases, even after being crumpled.
“Our recoverable electronics are designed to mimic the remarkable properties of butterfly wings, which can be crumpled into a chrysalis and emerge smooth and functional,” Han explained. “Their underlying design integrates silver nanowires, a shape memory polymer (SMP), and an elastomer. The silver nanowires are not only conductive, but also act as mechanical sensing elements. They help change the SMP phase through Joule heating, which is a process of heating a material using an electric current.
The design proposed by this research team works as follows: when an electronic device is crumpled, the SMP (a flexible material) it contains allows it to bend without causing permanent damage. If heat is applied to this material through a series of silver nanowires, it transforms and becomes rigid.
“This change helps the electronics unfold and return to their original flat shape without creases or permanent damage,” Han said. “Devices created using our design can withstand repeated creasing and unfolding without losing functionality. Our design also results in high packaging efficiency, allowing devices to be compressed into very small spaces (like a 1 ml capsule), then return to their original size.”
Credit: Roh et al.
The unique design introduced by Han and his colleagues has several advantageous features. First, it allows users to easily modulate the stiffness of devices according to their needs.
“After being crumpled, the devices can return to their original shape and functionality, a property inspired by nature,” Han said.
To demonstrate their design, the researchers have so far used it to create a 7cm by 7cm touchscreen. They showed that this screen could be crumpled into a tiny capsule and then unfolded, becoming a smooth, flat surface capable of detecting touch.
“Essentially, our recoverable electronic components combine the resilience of natural systems with the precision of modern technology, offering a new approach to designing flexible and durable electronic devices,” Han said. “Nowadays, people are getting used to electronic devices that bend or fold (e.g., foldable phones), and interest in customizable electronic devices that change shape is expected to increase to the future.”
Most previously developed shape-changing devices are based on foldable structures that bend at specific locations and repeating similar movements. Over time, these devices can deteriorate, producing, for example, wrinkles, creases, or structural damage where they fold in on themselves.
“Our research can address these issues, potentially directly contributing to the development of customizable electronic devices that change shape,” Han said. “The electronic devices we have developed can also be applied to displays or touchscreens. They will likely be particularly useful in wearable technology and robotics due to their ability to change shape and their flexible nature, making them suitable to any area requiring interaction with the human body.”
The strain-recoverable electronic design designed by Han and his colleagues could prove useful for a wide range of applications. As well as helping to develop shape-shifting robots, adaptable wearable electronics and compressible displays, it could be used to create self-healing materials for advanced medical and engineering applications.
“An important point to note is that self-healing materials are still in the early stages of development,” Han said. “There are many opportunities in the process of determining where and for what purpose these developed materials can be applied. The difference between our self-healing electronic device and existing self-healing materials is that while previous materials focused “On recovering their original form, our self-healing electronic devices focus on customizable “shape-shifting” and maintaining functionality and fitness after transformation.”
Han and his colleagues are now trying to use their design to create various electronic devices that could then be commercialized. They are currently working on a display incorporating an electroluminescent layer and touch panels, which could be crumpled and reduced in size without forming creases or compromising its capabilities. The most beneficial feature of this display is that users can quickly fold it and store it in tight spaces, then unfold it when they want to use it.
“With the development of PLEDs, or polymer-based diodes, we are focusing on creating displays that can flexibly change shape by merging this technology with ours,” Han added. “Considering the continued development of foldable phones by various global companies, we are also planning to further develop our technology to make it applicable to various modules required in these devices. This would provide practical convenience in daily life, in line with changing needs of modern electronic industry.”
More information:
Yeonwook Roh et al, Crumpling recoverable electronics based on plastic to elastic deformation transitions, Natural electronics (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-023-01089-6
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