Selection of Insulating Elastomers for High-Performance Intrinsically Stretchable Transistors

Abstract

An insulating elastomer, as one of the indispensable components of skin-like electronic devices, significantly affects the mechanical and electrical properties of devices. However, the detailed information on insulating elastomers for stretchable electronics is still insufficient. Here, we systematically investigate mechanical properties, surface properties, and dielectric properties of five extensively used commercial insulating elastomers. By comparing these insulating elastomers, Sylgard-186 is first selected as the dielectric of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) that provides high elongation at break, low surface energy, moderate dielectric constant, low leakage current density, and capacitance independent of frequency, which enables the achievement of the intrinsically stretchable transistor with mobility as high as 1.81 cm2 V–1 s–1, stable mobility up to 1.41 cm2 V–1 s–1 at 60% strain, and mobility of 0.96 cm2 V–1 s–1 at 100% strain. These are among the advanced values of stretchable OFETs. This work provides general guidelines for the selection of the commercially available insulating elastomers for fabricating high-performance stretchable electronics, presenting the significant potential for future wearable and stretchable electronics.