One‐Step Soft Templated Selective Milling‐Based Circuit Patterning for Eco‐Friendly and High‐Throughput Manufacturing of Flexible Electronics

Abstract

Over the past decades, the booming development of flexible electronics in various fields, e.g., Internet of Things and epidermal electronics, requires the support of a reliable manufacturing approach, where circuit patterning is the core. Although the existing circuit patterning methods represented by photochemical etching and direct printing process have shown good performance, they still cannot satisfy today's demands on environmental friendliness and cost‐efficiency concurrently. Here, by regulating the milling force distribution on the flexible workpiece with a grooved soft template, this work presents a milling‐based patterning technique that is compatible with roll‐to‐roll technology, to achieve continuous selective removal of conductive material in one step and hence directly pattern electrical circuits on aluminum clad laminates. Without introducing any chemicals, this new approach generates no emission but recyclable aluminum scraps. Moreover, the process shows a considerable processing speed of 30 m min−1, and costs only commercial aluminum clad laminates. Examples of device fabrication include a radio frequency identification tag and a temperature sensor. Ultimately, this work can bring an eco‐friendly, economic and high‐throughput approach to flexible electronics manufacturing.

Skin‐Inspired Ultrafast Self‐Healing Wearable Patch with Hybrid Cooling for Comfortable and Durable Electromyographic Monitoring

“…Electronic skins can detect numerous physiological and physical signals, exhibiting their great potential as platforms for personal healthcare, soft robotics, behavior monitoring, and human-machine interaction. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Ideally, electronic skin should closely mimic natural skin. [9][10][11] As the body's largest organ, the skin is an integrated multisensory system with a self-healing ability that helps stabilize body temperature.…”