By combining two materials - transparent conductive indium tin oxide and rubber-like silicone - researchers have found a new way to transfer electronics made on rigid silicon (such as mobile phones and tablets), onto a flexible surface.
This new method involves sliding microscale plates of oxide materials over each other to relieve stress and retain electrical conductivity, providing a new way for the materials to mesh together.
Generally, oxide materials are brittle and their high processing temperatures (more than 300C) have until now prevented their use in flexible electronic devices.
Apart from flexible displays, solar cells, and energy harvesters, this new biocompatible material could also be used in biomedical devices to monitor or stimulate nerve cells and organs.
Read more at RMIT University