Polymer light emitting devices can be stretched like rubber
Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have made what they claim is the world's first demonstration of an intrinsically stretchable polymer light emitting device.
Led by UCLA postdoctoral fellow Zhibin Yu, the team developed a simple process to fabricate the transparent devices using single walled carbon nanotube polymer composite electrodes. The interpenetrating networks of nanotubes and the polymer matrix in the surface layer of the composites was said to lead to low sheet resistance, high transparency, high compliance and low surface roughness.
According to Yu, the metal free devices can be linearly stretched by up to 45%, while the composite electrodes can be reversibly stretched by up to 50%, with little change in sheet resistance.
"Because the devices are fabricated by roll lamination of two composite electrodes that sandwich an emissive polymer layer, they combine mechanical robustness and the ability for large strain deformation," said the researcher. "This development will provide a new direction for the field of stretchable electronics,"
