Issue

Vol. 17 (2025)

Laser-Induced Nanowire Percolation Interlocking for Ultrarobust Soft Electronics

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01627-7
Yeongju Jung
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Kyung Rok Pyun
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Sejong Yu
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Jiyong Ahn
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Jinsol Kim
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Jung Jae Park
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Min Jae Lee
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Byunghong Lee
Energy Device Research Team, Hyundai Motor Company, 37 Cheoldobangmulgwan‑ro, Uiwang‑si, Gyeonggi‑do 16082, South Korea
Daeyeon Won
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Junhyuk Bang
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
Seung Hwan Ko
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak‑ro, Gwanak‑gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea

Corresponding Author: Seung Hwan Ko

maxko@snu.ac.kr

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 17 (2025), Article Number: 127

Abstract

Metallic nanowires have served as novel materials for soft electronics due to their outstanding mechanical compliance and electrical properties. However, weak adhesion and low mechanical robustness of nanowire networks to substrates significantly undermine their reliability, necessitating the use of an insulating protective layer, which greatly limits their utility. Herein, we present a versatile and generalized laser-based process that simultaneously achieves strong adhesion and mechanical robustness of nanowire networks on diverse substrates without the need for a protective layer. In this method, the laser-induced photothermal energy at the interface between the nanowire network and the substrate facilitates the interpenetration of the nanowire network and the polymer matrix, resulting in mechanical interlocking through percolation. This mechanism is broadly applicable across different metallic nanowires and thermoplastic substrates, significantly enhancing its universality in diverse applications. Thereby, we demonstrated the mechanical robustness of nanowires in reusable wearable physiological sensors on the skin without compromising the performance of the sensor. Furthermore, enhanced robustness and electrical conductivity by the laser-induced interlocking enables a stable functionalization of conducting polymers in a wet environment, broadening its application into various electrochemical devices.


Highlights:
1 Laser-induced percolation interlocking technology enables the development of the robust, open-structured nanowire (NW) electrodes through the photothermal effect at the interface between NW and substrate.
2 The optimized NW electrode with enhanced mechanical and electrical properties can be used as reusable wearable electronics.
3 Stable functionalization of the percolation-interlocked NW electrode with various conducting polymers can be achieved, broadening the applicability as soft electronics.

Keywords

Nanowire percolation network Laser processing Mechanical interlocking Functionalization Conducting polymer
Jung, Yeongju, Kyung Rok Pyun, Sejong Yu, Jiyong Ahn, Jinsol Kim, Jung Jae Park, Min Jae Lee, Byunghong Lee, Daeyeon Won, Junhyuk Bang, and Seung Hwan Ko. 2025. “Laser-Induced Nanowire Percolation Interlocking for Ultrarobust Soft Electronics”. Nano-Micro Letters 17 (January):127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01627-7.
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