2024 | Jiaxue Zhang, Qianying Lu, Ming Wu, Yuping Sun, Shaolei Wang, Xiaoliang Wang, Ming-Hui Lu and Desheng Kong
This study presents intrinsically stretchable light-emitting drawing displays that can show arbitrary hand-drawing features. The devices use an alternating-current electroluminescent (AC EL) mechanism with a simplified architecture comprising coplanar interdigitated liquid metal electrodes, an electroluminescent layer, and a dielectric encapsulation layer. Ink patterns on the device are coupled with the interdigitated electrodes under alternating voltage stimulations, generating localized electric fields for bright emissions. Various inks are prepared for painting, stamping, and stencil printing. Arbitrary luminous features on the devices can be either long-lasting or transient in characteristics. These skin-like devices are made entirely of compliant materials that can withstand bending, twisting, and stretching manipulations. Due to the excellent mechanical deformability, the drawing displays can be conformally laminated on the skin as body-integrated optoelectronic communication devices for graphic information.
The device utilizes the AC EL operating mechanism to achieve luminous features that resemble the ink patterns and allow convenient delivery of complex graphic information. The drawing display is made entirely of compliant components to achieve skin-like deformability, including interdigitated liquid metal electrodes, an electroluminescent layer, and a dielectric encapsulation layer. The ionically conductive ink is easily drawn into patterned top electrodes and capacitively coupled with interdigitated liquid metal electrodes to activate bright emissions.
Different aqueous inks formulated with tailored rheological properties can create arbitrary patterns through painting, stamping, and stencil printing. The standard inks produce transient luminous patterns due to water evaporation, allowing for continuous drawing for real-time communications. On the other hand, ink patterns with hygroscopic salts are suitable for long-term display and can easily be erased for repetitive uses. The stretchable light-emitting drawing displays are robust enough to withstand up to 200% tensile strain and repetitive stretching. Conformally laminating them on the skin demonstrates their practical suitability as body-integrated displays for graphic information.
The light-emitting drawing displays exhibit high stretchability of up to 200% strain, stable operation under repetitive deformations, and conformal attachment to the skin. These devices offer an appealing operating mode of skin-attached wearable displays to conveniently generate arbitrary and complex luminous patterns for delivering visual information. The devices can potentially function as information communication interfaces on various deformable objects, such as fashioned clothing, interactive lighting systems, and soft robots. Alternatively, the drawing displays may be paired with deformable drivers and batteries for fully untethered wearable systems to further expand the application scopes.This study presents intrinsically stretchable light-emitting drawing displays that can show arbitrary hand-drawing features. The devices use an alternating-current electroluminescent (AC EL) mechanism with a simplified architecture comprising coplanar interdigitated liquid metal electrodes, an electroluminescent layer, and a dielectric encapsulation layer. Ink patterns on the device are coupled with the interdigitated electrodes under alternating voltage stimulations, generating localized electric fields for bright emissions. Various inks are prepared for painting, stamping, and stencil printing. Arbitrary luminous features on the devices can be either long-lasting or transient in characteristics. These skin-like devices are made entirely of compliant materials that can withstand bending, twisting, and stretching manipulations. Due to the excellent mechanical deformability, the drawing displays can be conformally laminated on the skin as body-integrated optoelectronic communication devices for graphic information.
The device utilizes the AC EL operating mechanism to achieve luminous features that resemble the ink patterns and allow convenient delivery of complex graphic information. The drawing display is made entirely of compliant components to achieve skin-like deformability, including interdigitated liquid metal electrodes, an electroluminescent layer, and a dielectric encapsulation layer. The ionically conductive ink is easily drawn into patterned top electrodes and capacitively coupled with interdigitated liquid metal electrodes to activate bright emissions.
Different aqueous inks formulated with tailored rheological properties can create arbitrary patterns through painting, stamping, and stencil printing. The standard inks produce transient luminous patterns due to water evaporation, allowing for continuous drawing for real-time communications. On the other hand, ink patterns with hygroscopic salts are suitable for long-term display and can easily be erased for repetitive uses. The stretchable light-emitting drawing displays are robust enough to withstand up to 200% tensile strain and repetitive stretching. Conformally laminating them on the skin demonstrates their practical suitability as body-integrated displays for graphic information.
The light-emitting drawing displays exhibit high stretchability of up to 200% strain, stable operation under repetitive deformations, and conformal attachment to the skin. These devices offer an appealing operating mode of skin-attached wearable displays to conveniently generate arbitrary and complex luminous patterns for delivering visual information. The devices can potentially function as information communication interfaces on various deformable objects, such as fashioned clothing, interactive lighting systems, and soft robots. Alternatively, the drawing displays may be paired with deformable drivers and batteries for fully untethered wearable systems to further expand the application scopes.