Nat Nanotechnol. 2011 Oct 23;6(12):788-92. doi: 10.1038/nnano.2011.184.
Transparent, elastic conductors are essential components of electronic and optoelectronic devices that facilitate human interaction and biofeedback, such as interactive electronics, implantable medical devices and robotic systems with human-like sensing capabilities. The availability of conducting thin films with these properties could lead to the development of skin-like sensors that stretch reversibly, sense pressure (not just touch), bend into hairpin turns, integrate with collapsible, stretchable and mechanically robust displays and solar cells, and also wrap around non-planar and biological surfaces such as skin and organs, without wrinkling. We report transparent, conducting spray-deposited films of single-walled carbon nanotubes that can be rendered stretchable by applying strain along each axis, and then releasing this strain. This process produces spring-like structures in the nanotubes that accommodate strains of up to 150% and demonstrate conductivities as high as 2,200 S cm(-1) in the stretched state. We also use the nanotube films as electrodes in arrays of transparent, stretchable capacitors, which behave as pressure and strain sensors.
透明、弹性导体是电子和光电子设备的重要组成部分,它们促进了人机交互和生物反馈,例如交互式电子设备、可植入医疗设备和具有类似人类感知能力的机器人系统。具有这些特性的导电薄膜的可用性可能会导致开发出类似皮肤的传感器,这些传感器可以可逆地拉伸、感知压力(不仅仅是触摸)、弯曲成发夹形、与可折叠、可拉伸和机械坚固的显示器和太阳能电池集成,还可以缠绕在非平面和生物表面,如皮肤和器官,而不会起皱。我们报告了透明、导电的喷涂单壁碳纳米管薄膜,通过沿每个轴施加应变并随后释放应变,可以使这些薄膜具有拉伸性。该过程在纳米管中产生了类似于弹簧的结构,可以适应高达 150%的应变,并在拉伸状态下表现出高达 2200 S cm-1 的电导率。我们还将纳米管薄膜用作透明、可拉伸电容器阵列中的电极,这些电极可以作为压力和应变传感器。