'Invincible' Light-Emitting Material for Robotics, Wearables, and Automotive

A new stretchy material called "HELIOS" developed at the National University of Singapore  could pave the way for new light-emitting robots and flexible digital screens that can heal cracks. The HELIOS (Healable, Low-field Illuminating Optoelectronic Stretchable) material has high dielectric permittivity and self-healing properties in order to lower electronic operating conditions. It's a transparent, elastic rubber sheet made up of fluoroelastomer and surfactant. The high dielectric permittivity enables it to store more electronic charges at lower voltages, which enables a higher brightness in a light-emitting capacitor device. Compared to existing stretchable light-emitting capacitors, HELIOS-enabled devices can achieve illumination that is over 20 times brighter and turn on at voltages that are four times lower. The researchers are looking to scale up the technology for specialty packaging, safety lights, wearable devices, and automotive and robotics applications.