Professor Jin Young Oh from the Department of Chemical Engineering and his research team develop a transistor capable of mending physical damage and recovering electrical properties

Researchers at Kyung Hee University have engineered electronic devices that mimic the elasticity of human skin and possess the ability to self-repair, even after sustaining damage. Professor Jin Young Oh and his team from the Department of Chemical Engineering led the creation of flexible field-effect transistors with autonomous healing capabilities, marking a groundbreaking achievement in the field. Professor Zhenan Bao, a renowned expert from Stanford University recognized for her contributions to electronic skin technology, collaborated on the study. The research has garnered recognition for its technological strides and was published on April 2024 in Nature Communications (IF=16.6) under the title “Autonomous self-healing supramolecular polymer transistors for skin electronics.”

While previous studies have explored self-healing semiconductors, this breakthrough marks the first time that every component of a transistor—conductors, semiconductors, and insulators—can heal simultaneously. “We’ve developed individual healing methods for diverse components, but the real challenge was integrating them into a fully functional transistor,” explained Professor Oh.

The team achieved this feat by engineering a self-repairing elastomer (insulator) and combining it with semiconducting polymer nanoweb technology (semiconductor) and metal-polymer nanocomposites (conductor). This resulted in a flexible transistor that can both stretch and repair itself without requiring any additional work. Furthermore, they incorporated these transistors into semiconductor logic circuits.

To test the self-healing abilities, the researchers deliberately cut the transistors with a surgical blade and left it for the viscoelastic properties of the self-repairing polymer to seamlessly reconnect and restore the damaged areas on its own. The damaged device began working again after 12 hours without any outside assistance; after 72 hours the electrodes of the semiconductor and insulator layers realigned precisely, reinstating over 90 percent of the device’s electrical properties.

This technology is poised to revolutionize the development of electronic skin. Professor Oh said, “Our transistor, with its flexibility and self-repair capabilities, will serve as a key element of bio-integrated devices for electronic skin applications.” Similar to how stem cells in the human body adapt into different tissues, the self-healing transistor is anticipated to lay the groundwork for all the essential components of electronic skin.

This collaborative effort with Professor Zhenan Bao’s team underscores the importance of international cooperation in scientific breakthroughs. Professor Oh stated: “Even the top electronic skin research teams in the U.S. have found this challenging, highlighting the exceptional capabilities of our students. We are committed to expanding global research collaborations and providing our graduate students with international opportunities.”