Wearable and bendable electronics and medical devices could be a possibility soon, with Stanford scientists developing nanowire electronics that can be shaped to fit on any surface, and attach to any material.
The electronic circuitry composed of nanowires can be fitted to a surface of almost any shape, of virtually any material. The breakthrough is in the area of fabrication and transfer of nanowire electronics.
Nanowire electronics circuitry is typically fabricated on a silicon chip. The circuitry adheres to the surface of the chip during fabrication and is extremely difficult to detach.
The new method coats the surface of the silicon wafer with a thin layer of nickel before fabricating the electronic circuitry.
Since both nickel and silicon are both hydrophilic, or "water-loving," when they are exposed to water after fabrication of nanowire devices is finished, the water penetrates between the two materials, detaching the nickel and the overlying electronics from the silicon wafer. According to the researchers, the detachment process can be done at room temperature in water, and only takes a few seconds.
The transfer process is almost 100 percent successful, meaning the devices can be transferred without sustaining any damage.
After detachment, the silicon wafers are clean and ready to reuse, which should reduce manufacturing costs significantly.The electronics is supported and insulated by an ultrathin later of polymer. This layer is extremely flexible, allowing the research team to attach their nanowire electronics to a wide range of shapes and materials including paper, textiles, plastics, glass, aluminum foil, latex gloves.
The flexibility and bendability of the devices is attributed to the short length of the nanowires used to fabricate the circuitry. The nanowires are only a couple thousandths of a millimeter long. Compared to the curvature of the everyday objects, that is really short, so there is very little strain on the nanowires.
Bendable devices to be a reality with new nanowire electronics fabrication method Electronics News
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