Overview of Flexible and Stretchable Approaches

This chapter focuses on the introduction of flexible and stretchable devices and their approaches, including intrinsically flexible or stretchable materials for electronics including nanomaterials, organic materials, and other materials. Structural designs enable rigid and planar materials to be flexible, even stretchable. Such approaches can leverage the most advanced materials to build high-performance flexible and stretchable electronics. The chapter covers structural designs for flexible and stretchable electronics such as nanomembranes (NMs), two-dimensional (2D) serpentine layouts, three-dimensional (3D) buckled mesostructures, and others. Besides nanomaterials and organic materials, others such as fiber-based materials, composite materials, and ductile inorganic semiconductors also have potential to build flexible and stretchable electronics. The design and synthesis of functional organic materials provide an alternative route to flexible and stretchable electronics.