Conductors: Soft, Stretchable and Transparent

Electronic devises are usually hard materials. Suppose you want a devise which is stretchable, you could use metallic springs.

If you want them small as well, you could use nanomaterials - like silver or gold nanowires. Or carbon tubes, graphene, ..

These materials conduct electricity, electronically. Meaning - electrons move in the material to conduct electricity. But if you want it soft and stretchable and transparent?

Say, for instance, to implant them in human body?

You might think that the choices would narrow down. But instead, it just expands...!

Many hydrogels can conduct electricity. Are stretchable and transparent and even biocompatible.

Unlike the hard materials hydrogels are ionic conductors. Can withstand very high voltages and very high frequencies. Which expand the applicability to many technological problems.

Researchers can now have a field day generating applications with these materials.

There is a trail blazing paper in the recent issue of science.

Take a look.

Science 341, 984-987 (2013);