Polymer nanocomposite meshes for flexible electronic devices

Polymer nanocomposite mesh-based electronic devices, featuring high flexibility, well-controlled compositions, high surface areas, lightweight, and porous structures permeable to air and liquid, are becoming tremendously popular for applications in healthcare monitoring, electronic skin, energy harvesting and storage devices, flexible displays and implantable bioelectronics. The emerging progress in polymer nanocomposite mesh-based flexible electronic devices and in the related mechanisms behind the mesh structure-induced functionalities have been intensively described. The related critical challenges and prospects are provided to offer inspiration for the design of advanced polymer nanocomposite meshes, as well as to promote the utilization and integration of polymer nanocomposite mesh scaffolds into multifunctional flexible electronic devices with outstanding performance and environmental friendliness for various applications. Flexible electronic devices featuring fashionable wearability, flexibility, and compatibility are drawing considerable attention for use in touch screens, healthcare monitoring, smart wound dressing, electronic skin, energy harvesting and storage devices, flexible displays and human-machine interfacing. Apart from the electrochemical performance, mechanical flexibility and even stretchability are considerable issues for electronic devices to ensure reliable data collection in applications. However, traditional inorganic materials such as metals and semiconductors possess poor mechanical flexibility and limited elasticity. Polymer nanocomposite mesh scaffolds assembled from polymer fibers offer fascinating opportunities for flexible electronic devices by virtue of their inherent flexibility, high surface area, the permeability to air and liquids of the porous mesh structure, and well-controlled composition. Emerging progress in high-performance flexible electronic devices using polymer mesh-based nanocomposites has been achieved through implementations as both passive and active components. In this review, the main design and fabrication strategies of functional polymer nanocomposite mesh scaffolds for flexible electronic devices will be first summarized in brief. Next, the application of polymer nanocomposite meshes as passive components (such as functional substrates, templates, and carbonized precursors) and active components (such as friction layers for nanogenerators, electroactive materials and separators for energy storage devices, and sensing layers for chemical sensors) in various high-performance flexible electronic devices will be reviewed in detail. Finally, the challenges and perspectives will be discussed to offer inspiration for the design of advanced polymer nanocomposite meshes, as well as to promote the utilization and integration of polymer nanocomposite mesh scaffolds into flexible electronic devices with outstanding performance and environmental friendliness.