Autonomous self-healing supramolecular polymer transistors for skin electronics

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 3433 - 10
• Main Authors: Vo, Ngoc Thanh Phuong, Nam, Tae Uk, Jeong, Min Woo, Kim, Jun Su, Jung, Kyu Ho, Lee, Yeongjun, Ma, Guorong, Gu, Xiaodan, Tok, Jeffrey B.-H., Lee, Tae Il, Bao, Zhenan, Oh, Jin Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 23.04.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 132/122; 140/146; 147/143; 147/28; 147/3; 639/301/1005/1007; 639/925/357/995; Arithmetic and logic units; Charge injection; Critical components; Electric contacts; Electronics; Field effect transistors; Humanities and Social Sciences; Logic circuits; multidisciplinary; Nanoclusters; Polymers; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Self healing materials; Semiconductor devices; Skin; Supramolecular polymers; Transistors; Vapor deposition
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47718-2

Skin-like field-effect transistors are key elements of bio-integrated devices for future user-interactive electronic-skin applications. Despite recent rapid developments in skin-like stretchable transistors, imparting self-healing ability while maintaining necessary electrical performance to these transistors remains a challenge. Herein, we describe a stretchable polymer transistor capable of autonomous self-healing. The active material consists of a blend of an electrically insulating supramolecular polymer with either semiconducting polymers or vapor-deposited metal nanoclusters. A key feature is to employ the same supramolecular self-healing polymer matrix for all active layers, i.e., conductor/semiconductor/dielectric layers, in the skin-like transistor. This provides adhesion and intimate contact between layers, which facilitates effective charge injection and transport under strain after self-healing. Finally, we fabricate skin-like self-healing circuits, including NAND and NOR gates and inverters, both of which are critical components of arithmetic logic units. This work greatly advances practical self-healing skin electronics. Integrating self-healing capabilities into skin-like stretchable transistors presents a persistent challenge. Here, by using a supramolecular polymer matrix, the authors develop autonomous self-healing transistors and skin-like logic circuits.