Flexible, strain gated logic transducer arrays enabled by initializing surface instability on elastic bilayers

Abstract

Developing flexible sensors with a high strain sensing range could enable widespread downstream applications, by allowing intimate, mechanically conformable integration with soft biological tissues. By characterizing interconnected metal electrode arrays on super-flexible substrates, we have established a surface deformation control strategy of an array of strain transducers. The strain gated switches are capable of measuring various compressive strains (up to 60%) by bringing metal electrodes into self-contact via creasing elastic instability beyond a threshold substrate strain. The designed devices have been developed to explore the geometry design effect on the electrode-elastomer “stiff film on soft elastomer” surface deformation. The enabled transducer array yielded a stepwise strain-electrical resistance switching mechanism which opens up the potential of future interconnected sensor array type of super-compressible devices.