journal article·2026-06Open access

Toward Flexible Printed Electronics: A Spider‐Silk‐Inspired, Strong and Tough Thermoplastic Polyamide Elastomer

Bo Yang, Liyue Zhang, Mengjing Yang, Hangzhi Guo, Zhibo Lin, Xinyu Qi, Wenjun Li, Haiyan Yan, Meng Li, Yanhui Chen, Weixing Chen, Zhenguo Liu, Wei Huang

Advanced Science· Volume 13· Issue 36

Abstract

ABSTRACT The advancement of intelligent and compliant flexible electronic devices demands polymer substrate materials that exhibit both high strength and toughness, which are critical for the performance and durability of printed circuits. Inspired by the structure of spider silk, we designed and synthesized a series of naphthalene‐containing thermoplastic polyamide elastomers (TPAE) in this work. The optimized TPAE‐ N 40% ‐ PEG 25% exhibits an impressive hydrogen bonding density of up to 41.8%, leading to outstanding mechanical properties: a tensile strength of 37.3 MPa, an elongation at break of 470.8%, and a remarkable toughness of 134.6 MJ/m 3 . When it was employed as a flexible substrate film (0.1 mm thickness), it reliably supported printed conductive traces, demonstrating stable electrical signal output under cyclic deformation. Furthermore, the substrate attached to fingers and wrists successfully monitored bending motions through consistent electrical responses, highlighting its potential for flexible strain sensors. Notably, the printed circuits can be completely removed by soaking in anhydrous ethanol for 12 h, enabling the full recovery and reuse of the substrate film. This spider‐silk‐inspired strategy provides a new design pathway for developing strong, tough, and sustainable polymer substrates for next‐generation flexible electronics.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Advanced Materials and Mechanics · Dielectric materials and actuators

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute of Flexible Electronics Northwestern Polytechnical University Xi'an China

Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics of Zhejiang Province Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University Ningbo China

School of Flexible Electronics (SoFE) and Henan Institute of Flexible Electronics (HIFE) Henan University Zhengzhou China

Engineering Research Center of Light Stabilizers for Polymer Materials Universities of Shaanxi Province School of Materials and Chemical Engineering Xi'an Technological University Xi'an China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

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