Multiple pathways to stretchable electronics

Description Stretchable conductors expand the interfaces with biological structures The aim of stretchable electronics is often to integrate complex multifunctional devices with biological structures (1–3). To achieve this, devices need to conform to and deform with the body’s anatomy (e.g., skin, internal organs, blood vessels, and nerves) while maintaining their electronic function (e.g., monitoring changes in a biological milieu or supplying stimulus to it). On page 1222 of this issue, Zhao et al. (4) report a device that can reliably interface with biological substrates while being stretched. Their work demonstrates a platform for fabricating elastic bioelectrodes based on microcracked conductive films. The authors apply four different biocompatible materials to this platform, creating a library of biosensors and stimulators.