Our Work

Our research focuses on flexible electronics and their applications, to foster new devices, systems and technologies. Specifically, we are interested in:

Design and fabrication of stretchable/flexible electronics for health monitoring
Bio-integrated and green devices
Transfer printing protocol for ultrathin inorganic films
Theoretical design of flexible electronics and its applications

Wearable electronics

A multifunctional wearable electronic system that combines advances in materials, chemistry, and mechanics to enable superior stretchability, self-healability, recyclability, and reconfigurability. This electronic system heterogeneously integrates rigid, soft, and liquid materials through a low-cost fabrication method.

Refs:

[1] Shi, C. et, al. Heterogeneous Integration of Rigid, Soft, and Liquid Materials for Self-Healable, Recyclable, and Reconfigurable Wearable Electronics. Sci. Adv. 2020, 6 (45), eabd0202.

[2] Shi, C. et, al. Stretchable, Rehealable, Recyclable, and Reconfigurable Integrated Strain Sensor for Joint Motion and Respiration Monitoring. Research 2021, 2021, 2021/9846036.

[3]Ren, W. et, al. High-Performance Wearable Thermoelectric Generator with Self-Healing, Recycling, and Lego-like Reconfiguring Capabilities. Sci. Adv. 2021, 7 (7), eabe0586.

[4]Zhu, P. et, al. Healable, and Stretchable High‐Power Thermoelectric Generator. Advanced Energy Materials. Advanced Energy Materials 2021, 11 (25), 2100920.

Green device

A fully paper-integrated piezoresistive sensing system that exhibits flexibility, waterproofing, air permeability, and biocompatibility. The piezoresistive system can be worn on human skin in the ambient environment, wet environment, and water for real-time monitoring of physiological signals with air permeability and waterproofing due to its hydrophobic fiber structure.

Refs:

[1] Wei, Y. et, al. Fully Paper-Integrated Hydrophobic and Air Permeable Piezoresistive Sensors for High-Humidity and Underwater Wearable Motion Monitoring. npj Flex Electron 2023, 7 (1), 13.

[2] Shi, X. et, al. Leaf Surface-Microstructure Inspired Fabrication of Fish Gelatin-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator. Nano Energy 2023, 109, 108231.

Transfer printing

A design of switchable dry adhesive based on shape memory polymer (SMP) with hemispher- ical indenters, which offers a continuously tunable and reversible adhesion through the combination of the preloading effect and the thermal actuation of SMP. Experimental and numerical studies reveal the fundamental aspects of design, fabrication, and operation of the switchable dry adhesive.

Ref:

[1] Luo, H. et, al. Switchable Dry Adhesive Based on Shape Memory Polymer with Hemispherical Indenters for Transfer Printing. Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Letters 2021, 11 (6), 100308.

Theoretical analysis

A rehealable and highly stretchable wearable strain sensing system enabled by advanced materials. By embedding patterned liquid metal (LM) line traces into dynamic covalent thermoset polyimine through a low-cost fabrication method, a mechanically flexible and electrically sensitive strain sensor is obtained. An analytical model based on length fractions of the strain sensor to describe the resistance change under applied strain. The results show good agreement with finite element simulation and experiment.