Modulus Engineered Substrate With Vertical Soft Interconnects for Ultra‐Stable Stretchable Multilayer Electronic Systems

Abstract

ABSTRACT Stretchable multilayer electronic systems hold transformative potential for next‐generation wearable electronics, soft robotics, and human‐machine interfaces. However, the stretchability and stability are severely hindered by the interfacial mechanical and electrical mismatch of different components. Herein, by simultaneously combining modulus‐engineered substrate with vertical soft interconnects, we report a multilayer electronic system design with both high stretchability and stability. The homologous soft‐bridge and rigid‐island design effectively reduces modulus mismatch and facilitates interfacial bonding, and the raw/hybrid liquid metal‐based vertical interconnects efficiently alleviate Poisson effect thus ensuring stable mechanical and electrical connections. As a result, such engineered multilayer electronics demonstrate high stretchability (800% strain limit) and high stability (over 4000 cycles at 100% strain) that outperform the results from previously reported multilayered flexible electronic devices. A three‐layer stretchable electronic system performs well as an electronic skin on a soft robot, and a wireless battery‐integrated intelligent haptic system is also demonstrated.