Advance could lead to flexible medical electronic implants

The advance, from Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering, could lead to the development of flexible monitoring devices integrated into the body that track and transmit a patient’s vital signs.

The key is said to be a combination of a porous polymer and liquid metal.



‘With current technology, electronics are able to stretch a small amount, but many potential applications require a device to stretch like a rubber band,’ said Yonggang Huang, Joseph Cummings professor of civil and environmental engineering and mechanical engineering. ‘With that level of stretchability, we could see medical devices integrated into the human body.’



According to a statement, Huang and collaborators have developed electronics with about 50 per cent stretchability, although this is not high enough for many applications.



One challenge facing these researchers has been overcoming a loss of conductivity in stretchable electronics. Circuits made from solid metals that are on the market today can survive a small amount of stretch, but their electrical conductivity drops by 100 times when stretched.