Stretchable and self-healing polymers and devices for electronic skin

This review covers some of the most recent advances in stretchable and self-healing polymers and devices for Electronic skin (E-skin) applications. Applications for both stretchable and self-healing materials include, but are not limited to, electronics, displays, energy, the environment, and medicine. While the majority of organic materials can generally be rendered flexible, such materials are not stretchable, which is a key mechanical property necessary to realize applications of E-skin for prosthetics, artificial intelligence, systems for robotics, personal health monitoring, biocompatibility, and communication devices. In our effort to survey materials utilized in various components of an electronic device, we report herein recent advances in stretchable and self-healing conductors, semiconductors, and substrates. We highlight some key technologies recently developed in stretchable organic-based sensors, solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and self-healing electronic devices. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.