Stretchable conductors
This could pave the way for flexible electronics and gentler medical devices
Polyurethane studded with gold nanoparticles can conduct electricity even when stretched, Michigan engineers have discovered. This feat could pave the way for flexible electronics and gentler medical devices. The nanoparticles start out randomly arranged, but they drift into wire-like formations as the material is stretched.
About the Professor: Nicholas Kotov is the Joseph B. and Florence V. Cejka Professor of Engineering and a professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, materials science and engineering and macromolecular science and engineering at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. His research interests include the 3D self-organization of nanoparticles and cells, and in using these principles to improve technologies and health care.