Interfacial Engineering Enabled High-Resolution Stretchable Metal-Level Conductive Lines and Transparent Conductor
Abstract
As stretchable electronics advance toward higher integration density and finer feature sizes, stretchable conductors, which serve as the architectural backbone of these electronics, must be scaled down accordingly. However, achieving both high stretchability and high electrical conductivity at high resolution remains a challenge using existing conductive materials. Here, through material design and interfacial engineering, we develop a thiol-functionalized conducting polymer/gold hybrid stack that can be patterned down to 4 micrometer linewidths using standard photolithography, while maintaining high stretchability, metal-like conductivity (>40,000 S/cm), and environmental stability. Leveraging this capability, we demonstrate grid-based stretchable transparent electrodes that surpass the figure-of-merit of indium tin oxide, as well as a 1000-pixel-per-inch image interconnected with stretchable lines. This work helps to broaden the scope of next-generation functional soft electronics, including e-skins and bioelectronics.
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BibTeX
@misc{chen2026interfacial,
title = {{Interfacial Engineering Enabled High-Resolution Stretchable Metal-Level Conductive Lines and Transparent Conductor}},
author = {Ke Chen and Eric Tianjiao Zhao and Weichen Wang and Yepin Zhao and Kostas Parkatzidis and Lukas Michalek and Yuran Shi and Elizabeth Zhang and Tianyang Chen and Ruiheng Wu and Hao Lyu and Yating Yao and Yujia Yuan and Tianhao Chen and Ruby Rong Zhou and Shiyuan Wei and Junyi Zhao and Jeffrey B. -H. Tok and Zhenan Bao},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.14311},
eprint = {2609.14311},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.14311},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Interfacial Engineering Enabled High-Resolution Stretchable Metal-Level Conductive Lines and Transparent Conductor
AU - Ke Chen
AU - Eric Tianjiao Zhao
AU - Weichen Wang
AU - Yepin Zhao
AU - Kostas Parkatzidis
AU - Lukas Michalek
AU - Yuran Shi
AU - Elizabeth Zhang
AU - Tianyang Chen
AU - Ruiheng Wu
AU - Hao Lyu
AU - Yating Yao
AU - Yujia Yuan
AU - Tianhao Chen
AU - Ruby Rong Zhou
AU - Shiyuan Wei
AU - Junyi Zhao
AU - Jeffrey B. -H. Tok
AU - Zhenan Bao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/13
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.14311
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.14311
AB - As stretchable electronics advance toward higher integration density and finer feature sizes, stretchable conductors, which serve as the architectural backbone of these electronics, must be scaled down accordingly. However, achieving both high stretchability and high electrical conductivity at high resolution remains a challenge using existing conductive materials. Here, through material design and interfacial engineering, we develop a thiol-functionalized conducting polymer/gold hybrid stack that can be patterned down to 4 micrometer linewidths using standard photolithography, while maintaining high stretchability, metal-like conductivity (>40,000 S/cm), and environmental stability. Leveraging this capability, we demonstrate grid-based stretchable transparent electrodes that surpass the figure-of-merit of indium tin oxide, as well as a 1000-pixel-per-inch image interconnected with stretchable lines. This work helps to broaden the scope of next-generation functional soft electronics, including e-skins and bioelectronics.
ER -