Wearable electronics that can be seamlessly integrated into clothing, onto skin, or inside the body, can enable a variety of novel applications within healthcare monitoring, biosensing, biomedical devices and the internet of things. Seamless integration requires matching of the mechanical properties of the electronics to clothing, skin, and tissues, i.e., the electronics need to be soft, flexible, and stretchable. One approach to achieve this is to make all or most components of a device stretchable in themselves by developing functional intrinsically stretchable composites. Such composites are typically based on a filler, which provides electronic or other functionality, and an elastomer matrix, which provides the mechanical properties of the composites. Manufacturing of intrinsically stretchable electronics is challenging and often involve time consuming and tedious fabrication procedures of low throughput, based on chemically harmful monomers and solvents. An alternative approach, printing of electronics, has experienced a boom in the past decade, recently even for stretchable applications. However, despite its appeal, stretchable printed electronic products have yet to reach the consumer market in larger numbers. Screen printing is a versatile printing method that is cost-effective, scalable, can be tailored to use harmless solvents with little waste, and can be made environmentally friendly by careful choice of materials. Furthermore, some applications of stretchable technology – such as implants and on-skin electronics – require conductors that are stable under humid, corrosive, or polluted conditions, which puts even more weight into choices of ink components. In paper I, we protected readily available conducting silver flakes through a thin coating with gold in a low-toxicity water-based process and demonstrated its use in inks for screen printed corrosion-resistant stretchable conductors. The novel silver-gold flake ink was used to fabricate a functional stretchable near-field communication device. Papers II and III both concern entirely screen printed and inherently stretchable devices, utilizing novel stretchable inks in combination with commercial inks to print vertical stacks. Two electrochemical devices – electrochromic displays and organic electrochemical transistors – were printed and tested under stretched conditions to push the limits of how screen printing can be used in applications for thin and stretchable wearable technology. The results show that the devices can retain electrical function even under practically high strains of 50 % (display) and 100 % (transistor). Finally, in paper IV, we investigate the operational principle of gold nanowire- based stretchable composites and find that interactions on the nano-and microscale differ between composites using the same filler but different elastomers. This study sheds light on the importance of the type of elastomer chosen for composites, as this heavily influences the composite’s electrical performance under strain. Altogether, the studies presented in this thesis provide knowledge, materials, and processes that in the long run can contribute to more effective devices within healthcare and other wearable electronics applications.

Two of the hottest research topics today are hybrid nanomaterials and flexible electronics. As such, this book covers both topics with chapters written by experts from across the globe. Chapters address hybrid nanomaterials, electronic transport in black phosphorus, three-dimensional nanocarbon hybrids, hybrid ion exchangers, pressure-sensitive adhesives for flexible electronics, simulation and modeling of transistors, smart manufacturing technologies, and inorganic semiconductors.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to printed flexible electronics and their applications, including the basics of modern printing technologies, printable inks, performance characterization, device design, modeling, and fabrication processes. A wide range of materials used for printed flexible electronics are also covered in depth. Bridging the gap between the creation of structure and function, printed flexible electronics have been explored for manufacturing of flexible, stretchable, wearable, and conformal electronics device with conventional, 3D, and hybrid printing technologies. Advanced materials such as polymers, ceramics, nanoparticles, 2D materials, and nanocomposites have enabled a wide variety of applications, such as transparent conductive films, thin film transistors, printable solar cells, flexible energy harvesting and storage devices, electroluminescent devices, and wearable sensors. This book provides students, researchers and engineers with the information to understand the current status and future trends in printed flexible electronics, and acquire skills for selecting and using materials and additive manufacturing processes in the design of printed flexible electronics.

Provides the state-of-the-art on wearable technology for smart clothing The book gives a coherent overview of recent development on flexible electronics for smart clothing with emphasis on wearability and durability of the materials and devices. It offers detailed information on the basic functional components of the flexible and wearable electronics including sensing, systems-on-a-chip, interacting, and energy, as well as the integrating and connecting of electronics into textile form. It also provides insights into the compatibility and integration of functional materials, electronics, and the clothing technology. Flexible and Wearable Electronics for Smart Clothing offers comprehensive coverage of the technology in four parts. The first part discusses wearable organic nano-sensors, stimuli-responsive electronic skins, and flexible thermoelectrics and thermoelectric textiles. The next part examines textile triboelectric nanogenerators for energy harvesting, flexible and wearable solar cells and supercapacitors, and flexible and wearable lithium-ion batteries. Thermal and humid management for next-generation textiles, functionalization of fiber materials for washable smart wearable textiles, and flexible microfluidics for wearable electronics are covered in the next section. The last part introduces readers to piezoelectric materials and devices based flexible bio-integrated electronics, printed electronics for smart clothes, and the materials and processes for stretchable and wearable e-textile devices. -Presents the most recent developments in wearable technology such as wearable nanosensors, logic circuit, artificial intelligence, energy harvesting, and wireless communication -Covers the flexible and wearable electronics as essential functional components for smart clothing from sensing, systems-on-a-chip, interacting, energy to the integrating and connecting of electronics -Of high interest to a large and interdisciplinary target group, including materials scientists, textile chemists, and electronic engineers in academia and industry Flexible and Wearable Electronics for Smart Clothing will appeal to materials scientists, textile industry professionals, textile engineers, electronics engineers, and sensor developers.

Offers the first comprehensive account of this interesting and growing research field Printed Batteries: Materials, Technologies and Applications reviews the current state of the art for printed batteries, discussing the different types and materials, and describing the printing techniques. It addresses the main applications that are being developed for printed batteries as well as the major advantages and remaining challenges that exist in this rapidly evolving area of research. It is the first book on printed batteries that seeks to promote a deeper understanding of this increasingly relevant research and application area. It is written in a way so as to interest and motivate readers to tackle the many challenges that lie ahead so that the entire research community can provide the world with a bright, innovative future in the area of printed batteries. Topics covered in Printed Batteries include, Printed Batteries: Definition, Types and Advantages; Printing Techniques for Batteries, Including 3D Printing; Inks Formulation and Properties for Printing Techniques; Rheological Properties for Electrode Slurry; Solid Polymer Electrolytes for Printed Batteries; Printed Battery Design; and Printed Battery Applications. Covers everything readers need to know about the materials and techniques required for printed batteries Informs on the applications for printed batteries and what the benefits are Discusses the challenges that lie ahead as innovators continue with their research Printed Batteries: Materials, Technologies and Applications is a unique and informative book that will appeal to academic researchers, industrial scientists, and engineers working in the areas of sensors, actuators, energy storage, and printed electronics.

This book provides an overview of the newly emerged and highly interdisciplinary field of printed electronics • Provides an overview of the latest developments and research results in the field of printed electronics • Topics addressed include: organic printable electronic materials, inorganic printable electronic materials, printing processes and equipments for electronic manufacturing, printable transistors, printable photovoltaic devices, printable lighting and display, encapsulation and packaging of printed electronic devices, and applications of printed electronics • Discusses the principles of the above topics, with support of examples and graphic illustrations • Serves both as an advanced introductory to the topic and as an aid for professional development into the new field • Includes end of chapter references and links to further reading

This book describes in detail modern technologies for printed electronics, explaining how nanotechnology and modern printing technology are merging to revolutionize electronics fabrication of thin, lightweight, large and inexpensive products. Readers will benefit from the explanations of materials, devices and circuits used to design and implement the latest applications of printed electronics, such as thin flexible OLED displays, organic solar cells, OLED lighting, smart wallpaper, sensors, logic, memory and more.

Advanced nanostructured materials such as organic and inorganic micro/nanostructures are excellent building blocks for electronics, optoelectronics, sensing, and photovoltaics because of their high-crystallinity, long aspect-ratio, high surface-to-volume ratio, and low dimensionality. However, their assembly over large areas and integration in functional circuits are a matter of intensive investigation. This Element provides detailed description of various technologies to realize micro/nanostructures based large-area electronics (LAE) devices on rigid or flexible/stretchable substrates. The first section of this Element provides an introduction to the state-of-the-art integration techniques used to fabricate LAE devices based on different kind of micro/nanostructures. The second section describes inorganic and organic micro/nanostructures, including most common and promising synthesis procedures. In the third section,different techniques are explained that have great potential for integration of micro/nanostructures over large areas. Finally, the fourth section summarizes important remarks about LAE devices based on micro/nanostructures, and future directions.

This third volume in the Advanced Nanocarbon Materials series covers the topic of flexible electronics both from a materials and an applications perspective. Comprehensive in its scope, the monograph examines organic, inorganic and composite materials with a section devoted to carbon-based materials with a special focus on the generation and properties of 2D materials. It also presents carbon modifications and derivatives, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide and diamonds. In terms of the topical applications covered these include, but are not limited to, flexible displays, organic electronics, transistors, integrated circuits, semiconductors and solar cells. These offer perspectives for today?s energy and healthcare challenges, such as electrochemical energy storage and wearable devices. Finally, a section on fundamental properties and characterization approaches of flexible electronics rounds off the book. Each contribution points out the importance of the structure-function relationship for the target-oriented fabrication of electronic devices, enabling the design of complex components.

This book presents recent advances in the design, fabrication and implementation of flexible printed sensors. It explores a range of materials for developing the electrode and substrate parts of the sensors, on the basis of their electrical and mechanical characteristics. The sensors were processed using laser cutting and 3D printing techniques, and the sensors developed were employed in a number of healthcare, environmental and industrial applications, including: monitoring of physiological movements, respiration, salinity and nitrate measurement, and tactile sensing. The type of sensor selected for each application depended on its dimensions, robustness and sensitivity. The sensors fabricated were also embedded in an IoT-based system, allowing them to be integrated into real-time applications.