Stretchable electronics have made remarkable leaps in flexibility, but truly elastic devices remain a formidable challenge. Researchers at Korea’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have come with a solution inspired by plant.
When it comes to electronics, flexibility often refers to bending or folding rather than expanding and contracting. That’s because electronic components, like LEDs, are typically built on rigid materials, while most stretchable substrates (like soft elastomers) can expand and contract by hundreds of percent. This mismatch leads to cracks or delamination, rendering devices useless when stretched.
To tackle this problem, the research team looked to nature and how plant roots anchor themselves in soil. They developed a system called the Bioinspired Interfacial-Engineered Flexible Island (BIEFI), embedding flexible islands of polyimide into a soft elastomer called Ecoflex. Drawing from how primary roots distribute stress and secondary roots lock into surrounding material, the design allows each island to maintain a strong grip on the substrate, even under extreme deformation.
The team experimented with various layouts, eventually arriving at a design featuring 12 primary roots, 12 secondary roots, and root widths of about 100 micrometers. This configuration achieved a remarkable 700% stretchability, a significant jump from the approximate 100% available without the root-like structures. Even after repeated stretching, poking, and twisting, the electronics held up.
To show real-world potential, the researchers built devices including LED arrays that continued to light under extreme deformation, flexible solar cells capable of generating power when bent or stretched, a smart resistance band with embedded sensors for monitoring exercise movements, and a wrist-mounted pulse sensor that recorded health data in real time. Each device maintained its functionality despite being repeatedly bent or elongated.
Reference
Gul, O., Song, M., Gu, CY. et al. Bioinspired interfacial engineering for highly stretchable electronics. Nat Commun 16, 1337 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56502-9
