Stretchable electronic strips for electronic textiles enabled by 3D helical structure

Jessica Stanley; Phil Kunovski; John A Hunt; Yang Wei

doi:10.1038/s41598-024-61406-7

Stretchable electronic strips for electronic textiles enabled by 3D helical structure

Sci Rep. 2024 May 14;14(1):11065. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-61406-7.

Authors

Jessica Stanley^{1

2}, Phil Kunovski³, John A Hunt^{4

5}, Yang Wei^{6

4}

Affiliations

¹ Smart Wearable Research Group, Department of Engineering, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK. jessica.stanley@ntu.ac.uk.
² Medical Technologies Innovation Facility, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK. jessica.stanley@ntu.ac.uk.
³ Kymira Ltd, Reading, UK.
⁴ Medical Technologies Innovation Facility, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
⁵ College of Biomedical Engineering, China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan.
⁶ Smart Wearable Research Group, Department of Engineering, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.

Abstract

The development of stretchable electronic devices is a critical area of research for wearable electronics, particularly electronic textiles (e-textiles), where electronic devices embedded in clothing need to stretch and bend with the body. While stretchable electronics technologies exist, none have been widely adopted. This work presents a novel and potentially transformative approach to stretchable electronics using a ubiquitous structure: the helix. A strip of flexible circuitry ('e-strip') is twisted to form a helical ribbon, transforming it from flexible to stretchable. A stretchable core-in this case rubber cord-supports the structure, preventing damage from buckling. Existing helical electronics have only extended to stretchable interconnects between circuit modules, and individual components such as printed helical transistors. Fully stretchable circuits have, until now, only been produced in planar form: flat circuits, either using curved geometry to enable them to stretch, or using inherently stretchable elastomer substrates. Helical e-strips can bend along multiple axes, and repeatedly stretch between 30 and 50%, depending on core material and diameter. LED and temperature sensing helical e-strips are demonstrated, along with design rules for helical e-strip fabrication. Widely available materials and standard fabrication processes were prioritized to maximize scalability and accessibility.