Thread-based transistors promise fully flexible electronics

Electronic devices made from the so-called thread-based transistors (TBTs) could be woven into fabric, worn on the skin, or one day be implanted surgically for diagnostic monitoring.

In a study published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, the authors describe engineering the first TBTs which they said can be fashioned into simple, all-thread based logic circuits and integrated circuits. The circuits are claimed to replace the last remaining rigid component of many current flexible devices, and when combined with thread-based sensors, enable the creation of completely flexible, multiplexed devices.

The field of flexible electronics is growing, with most devices achieving flexibility by patterning metals and semiconductors into bendable "wavy" structures or using flexible materials such as conducting polymers. These "soft" electronics are enabling applications for devices that conform and stretch with the biological tissue in which they are embedded, such as skin, heart or even brain tissue.

In comparison, thread-based electronics have superior flexibility, material diversity, and the ability to be manufactured without the need for cleanrooms, the researchers said. The thread-based electronics can include diagnostic devices that are extremely thin, soft and flexible enough to integrate with the biological tissues that they are measuring.