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Intrinsic elastic conductors with internal buckled electron pathway for flexible electromagnetic interference shielding and tumor ablation

具有褶皱导电路径的本征体弹性导体用于柔性电磁屏蔽和肿瘤消融

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Abstract

The elastic conductor is crucial in wearable electronics and soft robotics. The ideal intrinsic elastic bulk conductors show uniform three-dimensional conductive networks and stable resistance during large stretch. A challenge is that the variation of resistance is high under deformation due to disconnection of conductive pathway for bulk elastic conductors. Our strategy is to introduce buckled structure into the conductive network, by self-assembly of a carbon nanotube layer on the interconnecting micropore surface of a prestrained foam, followed by strain relaxation. Both unfolding of buckles and flattening of micropores contributed to the stability of the resistance under deformation (2.0% resistance variation under 70% strain). Microstructural analysis and finite element analysis illustrated different patterns of two-dimensional buckling structures could be obtained due to the imperfections in the conductive layer. Applications as all-directional interconnects, stretchable electromagnetic interference shielding and electrothermal tumor ablation were demonstrated.

摘要

弹性导体在可穿戴电子设备和软机器人中至关重要. 理想的本征弹性体导体在大形变下显示出均匀的三维导电网络结构和稳定的电阻变化. 其面临的一个挑战是, 由于体弹性导体在形变下导电路径断开, 电阻变化很大. 我们的策略是将具有互连微孔的泡沫进行预拉伸, 通过碳纳米管在微孔表面自组装形成导电层, 随后释放预应变, 从而在导电网络中引入褶皱结构. 在拉伸过程中, 褶皱和微孔的变形都有助于电阻的稳定(在70%应变下电阻变化2.0%). 微观结构和有限元分析表明, 由于导电层中的缺陷, 可以获得不同形貌的二维褶皱结构. 我们展示了其在全方位电气互连、 可拉伸电磁屏蔽和电热肿瘤消融方面的应用.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFB0307000), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51973093, U1533122 and 51773094), the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin (18JCZDJC36800), the Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of Tianjin (18JCJQJC46600), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (63171219), the State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Donghua University (LK1704), the National Special Support Plan for High-level Talents people (C041800902), and the Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellows Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, College of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China

    Wenqian He  (何文倩), Xiaoyu Hu  (胡晓宇), Zhongsheng Liu  (刘中胜), Jinkun Sun  (孙进坤) & Zunfeng Liu  (刘遵峰)

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA

    Rui Zhang  (张锐) & Dong Qian  (钱冬)

  3. Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics (Theranostics), School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China

    Yuanyuan Cheng  (程媛媛) & Yinsong Wang  (王银松)

  4. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China

    Chao Zhang  (张超) & Xiang Zhou  (周湘)

  5. A*STAR Research Entities, Institute of High Performance Computing, Singapore, 138632, Singapore

    Zhuangjian Liu  (刘壮健)

Authors
  1. Wenqian He  (何文倩)
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  2. Rui Zhang  (张锐)
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  3. Yuanyuan Cheng  (程媛媛)
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  5. Xiang Zhou  (周湘)
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  6. Zhuangjian Liu  (刘壮健)
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  7. Xiaoyu Hu  (胡晓宇)
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  8. Zhongsheng Liu  (刘中胜)
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  12. Zunfeng Liu  (刘遵峰)
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Contributions

Author contributions Liu ZF was responsible for the experimental concept and design. He W, Cheng Y, Zhou X, Hu X, Liu ZS, Sun J and Wang Y carried out the most of the experiments, characterization and data analyses. Zhang R, Qian D and Liu ZJ contributed to the theoretical simulation and calculation. Zhang C carried out the cell viability experiments and data analyses. All authors contributed to the general discussion. All authors provided comments and agreed with the final form of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zunfeng Liu  (刘遵峰).

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Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Wenqian He is currently a MSc candidate under the supervision of Prof. Zunfeng Liu at the State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University. Her research interest focuses on the intrinsic elastic conductor for flexible wearable electronics.

Zunfeng Liu is a professor at the Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, College of Pharmacy and the State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University. He received his PhD from Nankai University in 2008. From 2008 to 2012, he was working as a postdoc fellow and project leader in Erasmus Medical Center, Leiden University (Netherlands). From 2013 to 2016, he was a professor at Changzhou University. His research expertise is in the area of wearable electronics, artificial muscles and actuators, especially in developing highly stretchable electronic interconnects, sensors and medical devices.

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40843_2020_1266_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Intrinsic Elastic Conductors with Internal Buckled Electron Pathway for Flexible Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Tumor Ablation

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He, W., Zhang, R., Cheng, Y. et al. Intrinsic elastic conductors with internal buckled electron pathway for flexible electromagnetic interference shielding and tumor ablation. Sci. China Mater. 63, 1318–1329 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-020-1266-9

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