SummaryStretchable, biocompatible devices can bridge electronics and biology. However, most stretchable conductors for such devices are toxic, costly, and regularly break/degrade after several large deformations. Here we show printable, highly stretchable, and biocompatible metal-polymer conductors by casting and peeling off polymers from patterned liquid metal particles, forming surface-embedded metal in polymeric hosts. Our printable conductors present good stretchability (2,316 S/cm at a strain of 500%) and repeatability (ΔR/R <3% after 10,000 cycles), which can satisfy most electrical applications in extreme deformations. This strategy not only overcomes large surface tension of liquid metal but also avoids the undesirable sintering of its particles by stress in deformations, such that stretchable conductors can form on various substrates with high resolution (15 μm), high throughput (∼2,000 samples/hour), and low cost (one-quarter price of silver). We use these conductors for stretchable circuits, motion sensors, wearable glove keyboards, and electroporation of live cells.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.