Stretchable, Transparent, Ionic Conductors

TLDR

Existing stretchable, transparent conductors are predominantly electronic, limiting the performance of interconnects, sensors, and actuators in stretchable electronics and soft machines. The authors introduce a class of ionic‑conductor devices that are highly stretchable, fully transparent across all visible wavelengths, and operable at frequencies above 10 kHz and voltages exceeding 10 kV. These devices achieve electromechanical transduction without electrochemical reactions, leveraging ionic conductors that provide high stretchability, transparency, and low sheet resistance under demanding conditions. They demonstrate a transparent actuator capable of large strains and a loudspeaker that covers the entire audible range, and show that ionic conductors exhibit lower sheet resistance than all existing electronic conductors when high stretchability and transmittance are required.

Abstract

Existing stretchable, transparent conductors are mostly electronic conductors. They limit the performance of interconnects, sensors, and actuators as components of stretchable electronics and soft machines. We describe a class of devices enabled by ionic conductors that are highly stretchable, fully transparent to light of all colors, and capable of operation at frequencies beyond 10 kilohertz and voltages above 10 kilovolts. We demonstrate a transparent actuator that can generate large strains and a transparent loudspeaker that produces sound over the entire audible range. The electromechanical transduction is achieved without electrochemical reaction. The ionic conductors have higher resistivity than many electronic conductors; however, when large stretchability and high transmittance are required, the ionic conductors have lower sheet resistance than all existing electronic conductors.