Stretchable and wearable polymeric heaters and strain sensors fabricated using liquid metals

Sihyun Kim; Masato Saito; Yuwen Wei; Priyanuj Bhuyan; Minjae Choe; Toshinori Fujie; Kunal Mondal; Sungjune Park

doi:10.1016/j.sna.2023.114317

Stretchable and wearable polymeric heaters and strain sensors fabricated using liquid metals

Sihyun Kim, Masato Saito, Yuwen Wei, Priyanuj Bhuyan, Minjae Choe, Toshinori Fujie, Kunal Mondal, Sungjune Park

Nuclear Materials Packaging, Transportat

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Abstract

Wearable electronic devices (WEDs) are receiving significant attention because of the increasing interest in soft robotics, electronic skin, and wearable sensors. Liquid metals (LMs) are compelling for WEDs owing to their metallic conductivity, fluidic nature, and low toxicity. Herein, we fabricated stretchable and soft WEDs using LM (eutectic gallium-indium alloy) wires (LMWs) patterned via force wetting through custom-made stencils on an elastic substrate. LMWs can generate thermal energy via Joule heating upon current application and deliver it to the substrate, resulting in wearable polymeric heaters. The LM mixed with carbonyl iron particles (CIPs) can also be patterned while preserving fluidic behavior. The degree of thermal energy generated through the LMWs can be manipulated as a function of the CIP concentration in the LM and geometrical factors of the electrode patterns, i.e., width and length. An elastic film patterned with LMWs attached to the human body exhibits changes in the effective electrical resistance depending on applied strain, demonstrating potential as a wearable strain sensor. This LM utilized WED that can generate thermal energy upon current application through the LMWs and detect the bodily motion has significant potential for application in wearable thermotherapy, electronic skin, and soft sensors.

Original language	English
Article number	114317
Journal	Sensors and Actuators A: Physical
Volume	355
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2023.114317
State	Published - Jun 1 2023

Funding

Toshinori Fujie is an Associate Professor of the School of Life Science and Technology at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. He received his Ph.D. (Engineering) in 2009 from the Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University. He spent postdoctoral periods at the Italian Institute of Technology (2010–12) and Tohoku University (2012–13). In 2013, he joined the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University as Assistant Professor. In 2016, he moved to the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study and promoted to Associate Professor in 2018. He also served as a PRESTO researcher in the Japan Science and Technology Agency (2015–2019). From November 2018, he moved to the current institute as a tenure-track Associate Professor (Lecturer). In June 2021, he was promoted to Associate Professor. From 2022, he is also a member of Living Systems Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers Initiative (IRFI), Tokyo Institute of Technology. His research interests are dedicated to the development of nano/micro technologies for diagnostics and therapeutics in the treatment of intractable diseases by utilizing polymeric materials, molecular assembly, tissue engineering, bioelectronics and bio-inspired/mimetic engineering. His honors include The Award for Young Investigator of Japanese Society for Biomaterials (2017) by Japanese Society for Biomaterials, and the Young Scientists' Prize for the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan (2018). This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) ( 2021R1C1C1005083, RS-2023-00207836 ). Kunal Mondal gratefully acknowledges Oak Ridge National lab and the Department of Energy and Environment Science and Technology at the Idaho National Laboratory, USA, for their support.

Funders	Funder number
Commendation for Science and Technology
Department of Energy and Environment Science and Technology
Japanese Society for Biomaterials
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning	RS-2023-00207836, 2021R1C1C1005083
Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning
National Research Foundation of Korea

Keywords

Liquid metal
Strain sensor
Stretchable and soft electronics
Wearable polymeric heater

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10.1016/j.sna.2023.114317

Cite this

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abstract = "Wearable electronic devices (WEDs) are receiving significant attention because of the increasing interest in soft robotics, electronic skin, and wearable sensors. Liquid metals (LMs) are compelling for WEDs owing to their metallic conductivity, fluidic nature, and low toxicity. Herein, we fabricated stretchable and soft WEDs using LM (eutectic gallium-indium alloy) wires (LMWs) patterned via force wetting through custom-made stencils on an elastic substrate. LMWs can generate thermal energy via Joule heating upon current application and deliver it to the substrate, resulting in wearable polymeric heaters. The LM mixed with carbonyl iron particles (CIPs) can also be patterned while preserving fluidic behavior. The degree of thermal energy generated through the LMWs can be manipulated as a function of the CIP concentration in the LM and geometrical factors of the electrode patterns, i.e., width and length. An elastic film patterned with LMWs attached to the human body exhibits changes in the effective electrical resistance depending on applied strain, demonstrating potential as a wearable strain sensor. This LM utilized WED that can generate thermal energy upon current application through the LMWs and detect the bodily motion has significant potential for application in wearable thermotherapy, electronic skin, and soft sensors.",

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AU - Mondal, Kunal

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Stretchable and wearable polymeric heaters and strain sensors fabricated using liquid metals

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