Fabrication of Highly Stretchable Conductors Based on 3D Printed Porous Poly(dimethylsiloxane) and Conductive Carbon Nanotubes/Graphene Network

The combination of carbon nanomaterial with three-dimensional (3D) porous polymer substrates has been demonstrated to be an effective approach to manufacture high-performance stretchable conductive materials (SCMs). However, it remains a challenge to fabricate 3D-structured SCMs with outstanding electrical conductivity capability under large strain in a facile way. In this work, the 3D printing technique was employed to prepare 3D porous poly(dimethylsiloxane) (O-PDMS) which was then integrated with carbon nanotubes and graphene conductive network and resulted in highly stretchable conductors (OPCG). Two types of OPCG were prepared, and it has been demonstrated that the OPCG with split-level structure exhibited both higher electrical conductivity and superior retention capability under deformations, which was illustrated by using a finite element method. The specially designed split-level OPCG is capable of sustaining both large strain and repeated deformations showing huge potential in the application of next-generation stretchable electronics.