Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 1: Interfaces and Thin Films I

CPP 1.5: Talk

Monday, March 26, 2012, 10:45–11:00, C 130

Stretchable metal films on ultrathin substrates — •Michael Drack, Martin Kaltenbrunner, Ingrid Graz, and Siegfried Bauer — Soft Matter Physics, Institute Experimental Physics, J. Kepler University, Altenbergerstraße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria

Today's electronic devices are rigid, tomorrow's electronics is expected to be used everywhere. Conformability will be the key to use electronics everywhere: electronic textiles, ultra-conformable solar panels and stretchable sensor skins are just a few potential applications. Unfortunately most electronic materials are brittle and fracture at 1% strain. Metals are ductile but plastically deform and break. So the question arises how to make such brittle or plastically deformable materials mechanically stretchable.

Here we present an approach to make thin metal electrodes mechanically highly compliant. The metal electrodes are fabricated by thin film processing techniques onto an ultrathin and ultra-flexible polymer substrate. A 1.4 micron thick PEN polymer foil is used as the substrate for the metal films. On a pre-stretched and relaxed elastomer, the metal electrodes on the thin PEN substrate form wrinkles. We have found that such 100nm thick aluminium, copper, gold and silver electrodes can be reversibly stretched uniaxially to 50% for 1000 cycles without failure. Their electrical resistance does not change significantly with cycling, paving ways for making any metal film mechanically stretchable.