Stretchable Electronic Devices: PDMS-Based Elastomer Tuned Soft, Stretchable, and Sticky for Epidermal Electronics (Adv. Mater. 28/2016)

On page 5830, Z. G. Wu and co-workers develop a novel approach to make poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based elastomer soft, stretchable and sticky by introducing a small fraction of ethoxylated polyethylenimine (PEIE). Around the PEIE chains, the crosslinking of the elastomer is hindered and results in a gradient of crosslinking density, and hence heterogeneous crosslinked networks. These liquid-like, loosely crosslinked domains in a highly crosslinked network enable higher compliance and larger elongation at break, accompanied by a surface that is highly adhesive to human skin.