Ultrasensitive and ultrastretchable electrically self-healing conductors

What is it about?

We report the design and fabrication of an electrically self-healing conductor featuring ultrahigh sensitivity to tiny damages and adaptability to giant deformations. The conductor has a unique architecture comprising a copper layer strongly coupled with underlying liquid metal microcapsules.

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Photo by Ivan Vranić on Unsplash

Photo by Ivan Vranić on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Bio-inspired self-healing conductors may significantly extend the service life of electronic devices. The promising potentials are often challenged by slow and nonspontaneous reparation processes demanding external triggering conditions. We have introduced an innovative design of self-healing conductors with extremely low thresholds to restore electrical properties. The healing mechanism applies to different levels of structural damages from tiny microcracks to severe fractures. Our work advances electrically self-healing conductors to enable robust device performances in flexible and stretchable electronics.