Professor Soo Seok Choi's POSTECH Electrical Engineering team, comprising first-author doctoral student Junhyeok Shin, doctoral students Seungmin Nam and Sanghyeon Han, and master's students Jiyoon Park and Chaehyeon Kwon, has expanded intrinsically stretchable color-changing devices from single elements to uniformly controlled multipixel technology. They first demonstrated segment-type matrix driving for displays. The study was published online and selected for the inside back cover of Advanced Materials Technologies, with formal publication scheduled for December 21.
Stretchability is an ultimate form of flexibility with applications in sensors, semiconductors, displays, electronic skin, encryption, electromagnetic control, communications, and fashion. Global interest has surged because of its potential beyond existing technologies. Approaches include structures that permit rigid devices to stretch to a limited extent and intrinsically stretchable materials. Most current work allows rigid emitters such as LEDs to stretch, but uniform behavior across locations remains difficult. Intrinsic technologies have largely remained simple single devices.
Mechanochromic stretchable color technology adjusts optical wavelengths by stretching, combining intrinsic stretchability with dynamic color change, but previously had not progressed beyond simple devices.
The study experimentally and theoretically explains stretching uniformity distributions across multiple pixels, positions, and stretching environments. Electrically stretching multiple pixels enables color control without interpixel interference. The team first demonstrated seven-segment stretchable color driving with uniform control of dozens of elements, producing real display image patterns.
The work is recognized for advancing single-element intrinsic stretchable color toward multipixel dynamic pattern/image control and practical applications. Support came from the Samsung Science & Technology Foundation and Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology programs for stretchable displays and demonstration technologies.