Highly stretchable, transparent ionic touch panel

TLDR

Transparent touch screens are ubiquitous but rely on hard materials. The authors created a highly transparent, stretchable touch panel from polyacrylamide hydrogels with trapped LiCl, retaining touch sensitivity under extensive strain. Kim et al., Science, p.

Abstract

Soft and still responsive Transparent touch screens, from large-panel interactive information maps to advanced cell phones, have become a part of daily life. However, such devices all use hard materials. Kim et al. have developed a soft touch panel based on polyacrylamide hydrogels (cross-linked polymers swollen with water) that are highly transparent and contain trapped LiCl to enhance conductivity. The hydrogels are soft and can be stretched extensively while still maintaining touch sensitivity. Science , this issue p. 682