Stenciled Liquid Metal Paste for Robust Stretchable Electrical Interconnects

Liquid metal has emerged as a leading material choice for stretchable interconnects, owing to its high conductivity and unlimited maximum strain at room temperature. However, repeatably and reliably patterning and attaching components to fluidic interconnects that deform under normal use has proven challenging. In this work, we present a method for fabricating stretchable circuits by stenciling a paste-like form of liquid metal, as well as a method to improve long-term durability of electrical connections between the liquid metal and electronic components. Cyclic load testing over 25,000 stretch cycles from 50%-200% strain is used to experimentally verify the approach.