Bottlebrush elastomers for high-performance stretchable semiconductors

Wearable and implantable electronics have the potential to transform personalized health monitoring, particularly as human-machine interfaces and biosensors to improve human health and well-being. When we think about the current electronics in our lives, such as our phones or laptops, we notice that they are mostly hard and not flexible. This is in strong contrast to our natural bodies, which are soft, dynamic, and curvy. The differences between current hard electronics and our soft bodies makes it uncomfortable to wear these electronics. Moreover, when electronics are placed inside the body for long periods of time, an inflammatory response is elicited, resulting in device failure from tissue buildup covering the sample. To solve this problem, researchers are looking at making electronic materials softer and understand tissue compatibility. This project seeks to develop electronically conductive semiconducting polymers to build transistors, a fundamental unit for all modern electronics.

Faculty Supervisor:

Helen Tran

Student:

Partner:

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program: