Soft Wearable Electronics Based on Metal Nanowire Network

Soft electronics takes a leap beyond Si-based rigid electronics. They are made of ultrathin, compliant, and stretchable materials, already with broad applications from personal health monitoring to prosthetics to human-machine interfaces. Metal nanowires, in particular silver nanowire (AgNWs), have emerged as a promising soft electronic material. In this talk, I will discuss the recent advances in AgNW-based soft electronics. I will start with highly conductive and stretchable AgNW electrodes, followed with a variety of wearable sensors for monitoring of human physiology and motions (e.g., strain, pressure, temperature, hydration, ECG, and EMG) and wearable heaters including their integration with textiles. I will discuss their applications in personal healthcare and sports. Manufacturing is a critical enabling step towards large-scale applications. I will present scalable and sustainable nanomanufacturing of AgNW-based soft electronic devices. I will conclude the talk with our recent efforts in thermally actuated fast and programmable soft robotics.

Yong Zhu

Andrew Adams Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University on February 2, 2023 at 12:00 PM in MRC 454

Yong Zhu is the Andrew Adams Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, with affiliated appointments in MSE, BME and ECE, at North Carolina State University. He received his Ph.D. degree from Northwestern University and conducted his postdoctoral training at the University of Texas at Austin. His group conducts research at the intersection of mechanics of materials and micro/nano-engineering, including nanomaterial-enabled flexible and stretchable electronics. His work has been recognized with a number of awards including James R. Rice Medal from the Society of Engineering Science, Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award and Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award, and Best Wearable Material/Component Development Award at IDTechEx Wearable USA.

ASSIST is developing leading-edge systems for high-value applications such as healthcare and IoT by integrating fundamental advances in energy harvesting, low-power electronics, and sensors with a focus on usability and actionable data.