A team of Korean and U.S. researchers have invented a new technology that will allow electronic materials to stretch like rubber while maintaining conductivity.

The finding published in the online journal Nature Communications marks major progress in developing wearable computers and flexible display devices.

Current technologies in the field are limited to produce only thin sheets of materials. Also, one of the key remaining technical challenges is to find materials that can endure the repeated bend and fold without losing their characteristics.

A joint research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the University of Illinois harnessed a three-dimensional structure that significantly improves the flexibility and conductivity of electronic devices.

They used a flexible substance called Polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS. PDMS can stretch to three times its original size but is not conductive.

The researchers placed two layers of nano-structured PDMS together, then filled between them with a mixture of liquid metals so that electricity could flow consistently.

And they found that the sandwich-like structure can stretch and continue conducting electricity no matter how many times it is folded and bent.

The flexible conductor made by the team is currently only about 2 cm with the thickness of about one-tenth that of a hair. But Jeon Seok-woo, professor of materials science and engineering at KAIST, said that it is relatively easy to make the new three-dimensional structure in larger scales with current technologies.

Jeon, who led the research team, noted that he believes the new material will help develop high-capacity flexible electronic devices such as wearable computers.

“The development will also allow Korea to take a leading role in this new field,” he said.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)