A new stretchable semiconductor, illustrated here, consists of acid-degradable semiconductor fibers (green) embedded within a rubbery, biodegradable polymer.
To seamlessly integrate electronics with the natural world, materials are needed that are both stretchable and degradable –– for example, flexible medical devices that conform to the surfaces of internal organs, but that dissolve and disappear when no longer needed. However, introducing these properties to electronics has been challenging. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed stretchable, degradable semiconductors that could someday find applications in health and environmental monitoring.
A new stretchable semiconductor, illustrated here, consists of acid-degradable semiconductor fibers (green) embedded within a rubbery, biodegradable polymer.
