Self-Healing and Stretchable Optoelectronic Devices

Optoelectronic devices are essential for modern living. At the same time, exciting developments in soft polymeric based materials for stretchable format lighting have emerged for various biomedical applications¹. These soft lighting devices allow mechanical flexibility and stretchability, enabling new applications in soft robotics² and wearable devices. In this talk, I will discuss emerging trends in soft optoelectronic devices, and share our research in developing ultra-low electric-field driven electroluminescence devices based on high-k dielectric polymers³. The use of polymeric based approaches allows for such optoelectronic devices to have self-healing capabilities when mechanical damaged. This can allow for greater re-usability as the devices can be readily repaired autonomously at the damage interface. They can also be recycled and processed into different shapes as required, leading to more sustainable use of optoelectronic devices⁴.<br/>1. Kim, D. <i>et al.</i> Ultraflexible organic light-emitting diodes for optogenetic nerve stimulation. <i>Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.</i> <b>117</b>, 21138 LP – 21146 (2020).<br/>2. Zhao, H., O’Brien, K., Li, S. & Shepherd, R. F. Optoelectronically innervated soft prosthetic hand via stretchable optical waveguides. <i>Sci. Robot.</i> <b>1</b>, eaai7529 (2016).<br/>3. Tan, Y. J. <i>et al.</i> A transparent, self-healing and high-κ dielectric for low-field-emission stretchable optoelectronics. <i>Nat. Mater.</i> (2019) doi:10.1038/s41563-019-0548-4.<br/>4. Tan, Y. J., Wu, J., Li, H. & Tee, B. C. K. Self-Healing Electronic Materials for a Smart and Sustainable Future. <i>ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces</i> <b>10</b>, 15331–15345 (2018).