Haoran Fu

Soft Microfluidic Assemblies of Sensors, Circuits, and Radios for the Skin

Wearable Monitors Advances in microelectronics have yielded high-quality devices that allow for intensive signal collection or transmission. S. Xu et al. (p. 70) show how to make a soft wearable system that is constructed like a stretchable circuit board, where the electronic components are bridged electrically by thin, meandering conducting traces that float in a highly visco-elastic polymer. A complete soft circuit capable of multisignal physiological sensing on skin was created, with potential for use in health monitoring or neonatal care. Flexible skin-integrated electronic sensors enable continuous, wireless health monitoring. When mounted on the skin, modern sensors, circuits, radios, and power supply systems have the potential to provide clinical-quality health monitoring capabilities for continuous use, beyond the confines of traditional hospital or laboratory facilities. The most well-developed component technologies are, however, broadly available only in hard, planar formats. As a result, existing options in system design are unable to effectively accommodate integration with the soft, textured, curvilinear, and time-dynamic surfaces of the skin. Here, we describe experimental and theoretical approaches for using ideas in soft microfluidics, structured adhesive surfaces, and controlled mechanical buckling to achieve ultralow modulus, highly stretchable systems that incorporate assemblies of high-modulus, rigid, state-of-the-art functional elements. The outcome is a thin, conformable device technology that can softly laminate onto the surface of the skin to enable advanced, multifunctional operation for physiological monitoring in a wireless mode.

Assembly of micro/nanomaterials into complex, three-dimensional architectures by compressive buckling

Popping materials and devices from 2D into 3D Curved, thin, flexible complex three-dimensional (3D) structures can be very hard to manufacture at small length scales. Xu et al. develop an ingenious design strategy for the microfabrication of complex geometric 3D mesostructures that derive from the out-of-plane buckling of an originally planar structural layout (see the Perspective by Ye and Tsukruk). Finite element analysis of the mechanics makes it possible to design the two 2D patterns, which is then attached to a previously strained substrate at a number of points. Relaxing of the substrate causes the patterned material to bend and buckle, leading to its 3D shape. Science, this issue p. 154; see also p. 130 Complex, three-dimensional shapes emerge via the geometric buckling of two-dimensional micro/nanostructures. [Also see Perspective by Ye and Tsukruk] Complex three-dimensional (3D) structures in biology (e.g., cytoskeletal webs, neural circuits, and vasculature networks) form naturally to provide essential functions in even the most basic forms of life. Compelling opportunities exist for analogous 3D architectures in human-made devices, but design options are constrained by existing capabilities in materials growth and assembly. We report routes to previously inaccessible classes of 3D constructs in advanced materials, including device-grade silicon. The schemes involve geometric transformation of 2D micro/nanostructures into extended 3D layouts by compressive buckling. Demonstrations include experimental and theoretical studies of more than 40 representative geometries, from single and multiple helices, toroids, and conical spirals to structures that resemble spherical baskets, cuboid cages, starbursts, flowers, scaffolds, fences, and frameworks, each with single- and/or multiple-level configurations.

A mechanically driven form of Kirigami as a route to 3D mesostructures in micro/nanomembranes

Significance Existing options in three-dimensional (3D) assembly of micro/nanomaterials are constrained by a narrow accessible range of materials and/or 3D geometries. Here we introduce concepts for a form of Kirigami for the precise, mechanically driven assembly of 3D mesostructures from 2D micro/nanomembranes with strategically designed geometries and patterns of cuts. Theoretical and experimental studies in a broad set of examples demonstrate the applicability across length scales from macro to micro and nano, in materials ranging from monocrystalline silicon to metal and plastic, with levels of topographical complexity that significantly exceed those possible with other schemes. The resulting engineering options in functional 3D mesostructures have important implications for construction of advanced micro/nanosystems technologies. Assembly of 3D micro/nanostructures in advanced functional materials has important implications across broad areas of technology. Existing approaches are compatible, however, only with narrow classes of materials and/or 3D geometries. This paper introduces ideas for a form of Kirigami that allows precise, mechanically driven assembly of 3D mesostructures of diverse materials from 2D micro/nanomembranes with strategically designed geometries and patterns of cuts. Theoretical and experimental studies demonstrate applicability of the methods across length scales from macro to nano, in materials ranging from monocrystalline silicon to plastic, with levels of topographical complexity that significantly exceed those that can be achieved using other approaches. A broad set of examples includes 3D silicon mesostructures and hybrid nanomembrane–nanoribbon systems, including heterogeneous combinations with polymers and metals, with critical dimensions that range from 100 nm to 30 mm. A 3D mechanically tunable optical transmission window provides an application example of this Kirigami process, enabled by theoretically guided design.

Mechanical assembly of complex, 3D mesostructures from releasable multilayers of advanced materials

Buckling-driven assembly of 3D mesostructures from releasable multilayers offers versatile design options for unique applications. Capabilities for assembly of three-dimensional (3D) micro/nanostructures in advanced materials have important implications across a broad range of application areas, reaching nearly every class of microsystem technology. Approaches that rely on the controlled, compressive buckling of 2D precursors are promising because of their demonstrated compatibility with the most sophisticated planar technologies, where materials include inorganic semiconductors, polymers, metals, and various heterogeneous combinations, spanning length scales from submicrometer to centimeter dimensions. We introduce a set of fabrication techniques and design concepts that bypass certain constraints set by the underlying physics and geometrical properties of the assembly processes associated with the original versions of these methods. In particular, the use of releasable, multilayer 2D precursors provides access to complex 3D topologies, including dense architectures with nested layouts, controlled points of entanglement, and other previously unobtainable layouts. Furthermore, the simultaneous, coordinated assembly of additional structures can enhance the structural stability and drive the motion of extended features in these systems. The resulting 3D mesostructures, demonstrated in a diverse set of more than 40 different examples with feature sizes from micrometers to centimeters, offer unique possibilities in device design. A 3D spiral inductor for near-field communication represents an example where these ideas enable enhanced quality (Q) factors and broader working angles compared to those of conventional 2D counterparts.

Lateral buckling and mechanical stretchability of fractal interconnects partially bonded onto an elastomeric substrate

Fractal-inspired designs for interconnects that join rigid, functional devices can ensure mechanical integrity in stretchable electronic systems under extreme deformations. The bonding configuration of such interconnects with the elastomer substrate is crucial to the resulting deformation modes, and therefore the stretchability of the entire system. In this study, both theoretical and experimental analyses are performed for postbuckling of fractal serpentine interconnects partially bonded to the substrate. The deformation behaviors and the elastic stretchability of such systems are systematically explored, and compared to counterparts that are not bonded at all to the substrate.

Morphable 3D mesostructures and microelectronic devices by multistable buckling mechanics

Three-dimensional (3D) structures capable of reversible transformations in their geometrical layouts have important applications across a broad range of areas. Most morphable 3D systems rely on concepts inspired by origami/kirigami or techniques of 3D printing with responsive materials. The development of schemes that can simultaneously apply across a wide range of size scales and with classes of advanced materials found in state-of-the-art microsystem technologies remains challenging. Here, we introduce a set of concepts for morphable 3D mesostructures in diverse materials and fully formed planar devices spanning length scales from micrometres to millimetres. The approaches rely on elastomer platforms deformed in different time sequences to elastically alter the 3D geometries of supported mesostructures via nonlinear mechanical buckling. Over 20 examples have been experimentally and theoretically investigated, including mesostructures that can be reshaped between different geometries as well as those that can morph into three or more distinct states. An adaptive radiofrequency circuit and a concealable electromagnetic device provide examples of functionally reconfigurable microelectronic devices.Reconfigurable electronic devices that can be shaped in two or more stable geometries modifying their functionalities have been realized by engineering the sequence in which the elastomeric substrates are mechanically buckled.

Mechanically-Guided Deterministic Assembly of 3D Mesostructures Assisted by Residual Stresses

Formation of 3D mesostructures in advanced functional materials is of growing interest due to the widespread envisioned applications of devices that exploit 3D architectures. Mechanically guided assembly based on compressive buckling of 2D precursors represents a promising method, with applicability to a diverse set of geometries and materials, including inorganic semiconductors, metals, polymers, and their heterogeneous combinations. This paper introduces ideas that extend the levels of control and the range of 3D layouts that are achievable in this manner. Here, thin, patterned layers with well-defined residual stresses influence the process of 2D to 3D geometric transformation. Systematic studies through combined analytical modeling, numerical simulations, and experimental observations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy through ≈20 example cases with a broad range of complex 3D topologies. The results elucidate the ability of these stressed layers to alter the energy landscape associated with the transformation process and, specifically, the energy barriers that separate different stable modes in the final 3D configurations. A demonstration in a mechanically tunable microbalance illustrates the utility of these ideas in a simple structure designed for mass measurement.