High-resolution and stretchable textile circuit by photopatterning of surface-modified liquid metal nanoparticles
摘要
Electronic textile represents the future of wearable electronics, offering unparalleled permeability and comfort, and holding immense promise for next-generation sensing, communication and smart functionalities. A critical enabler of these capabilities is the integration of stretchable, stable and customizable circuits. However, achieving high-resolution, seamlessly integrated circuits with robust electrical and mechanical performance directly on textiles remains a formidable challenge. Here, we introduce a novel photopatterning strategy for high-resolution, stretchable textile circuits based on surface-modified liquid metal nanoparticles. Our approach uniquely leverages coordination bonding between photopolymerizable monomers and the native oxide layer of liquid metal, enabling the nanoparticles to actively participate in photopolymerization. The process forms a crosslinked polymer network that not only allows for precise microscale patterning but also significantly enhances the electromechanical stability of the circuits. The resulting textile circuits exhibit a resolution of 100 µm, stretchability of up to 200% with minimal resistance change (ΔR < 0.1), and durability against repeated mechanical deformations including stretching, bending, and twisting. Moreover, they demonstrate environmental robustness, maintaining stable performance across varying humidity and temperatures, and even enduring practical scenarios such as washing, pressing, wrinkling and ironing. With this integrated strategy, a stretchable textile sensing system is developed as a breathable healthcare wristband for prolonged and irritation-free healthcare monitoring. By combining chemical design with photopatterning precision, this work establishes a versatile and scalable platform for the fabrication of advanced textile electronics.