Temperature‐Triggered Reversible Conductive Adhesive Enabling Reconfigurable and Recyclable Soft–Rigid Hybrid Electronics

ABSTRACT Flexible and stretchable electronics enable emerging applications in wearable systems, soft devices, and human–machine interfaces. As these systems often rely on hybrid architectures that integrate soft, deformable substrates with rigid electronic components, their practical implementation is often limited by irreversible or mechanically incompatible interconnects at soft–rigid interfaces, which hinder component replacement, system maintenance, and recycling. Here, we introduce a temperature‐triggered reversible conductive adhesive (TRCA) that simultaneously provides stable electrical interconnection and controllable interfacial debonding. At room temperature, TRCA provides reliable conductive adhesion for integrating rigid components onto stretchable circuits, while cooling to a predefined triggering temperature (∼−20°C) significantly reduces the adhesive strength, enabling detachment with minimal visible residue. With thermally switchable adhesion and tunable rheology, TRCA supports the direct construction of stretchable electronic platforms that host various sensors, including pressure, temperature, and strain modules, thereby enabling modular assembly, replacement, and reuse of functional components. Furthermore, TRCA facilitates reversible functional expansion of flexible gold‐film electrodes from electrophysiological recording to integrated sensing and subsequent recovery without noticeable signal degradation. TRCA establishes a materials‐driven interconnection strategy that integrates reversible adhesion, electrical reliability, and recyclability, offering a practical route for reconfigurable and sustainable soft–rigid hybrid electronics.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2026-08-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.77884
Primary Topic
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Temperature‐Triggered Reversible Conductive Adhesive Enabling Reconfigurable and Recyclable Soft–Rigid Hybrid Electronics

Dianpeng Qi, Huoerhute Yelemulati, Qiong Tian, Zihao He et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
article

Temperature‐Triggered Reversible Conductive Adhesive Enabling Reconfigurable and Recyclable Soft–Rigid Hybrid Electronics

Dianpeng Qi, Huoerhute Yelemulati, Qiong Tian, Zihao He, Mei Yu, Hanfei Li, Fei Long, Qinyi Zhao, Zhiyuan Liu, Guanglin Li, Huan Yu, Sida Wang, Wen Hou, Jing Sun, Jianping Huang, Ping Wang, Fei Han, Chenyang Li, Yan Liu, Xinyue Hu, Rui Su, Qingsong Li, Hang Zhao
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Flexible and stretchable electronics enable emerging applications in wearable systems, soft devices, and human–machine interfaces. As these systems often rely on hybrid architectures that integrate soft, deformable substrates with rigid electronic components, their practical implementation is often limited by irreversible or mechanically incompatible interconnects at soft–rigid interfaces, which hinder component replacement, system maintenance, and recycling. Here, we introduce a temperature‐triggered reversible conductive adhesive (TRCA) that simultaneously provides stable electrical interconnection and controllable interfacial debonding. At room temperature, TRCA provides reliable conductive adhesion for integrating rigid components onto stretchable circuits, while cooling to a predefined triggering temperature (∼−20°C) significantly reduces the adhesive strength, enabling detachment with minimal visible residue. With thermally switchable adhesion and tunable rheology, TRCA supports the direct construction of stretchable electronic platforms that host various sensors, including pressure, temperature, and strain modules, thereby enabling modular assembly, replacement, and reuse of functional components. Furthermore, TRCA facilitates reversible functional expansion of flexible gold‐film electrodes from electrophysiological recording to integrated sensing and subsequent recovery without noticeable signal degradation. TRCA establishes a materials‐driven interconnection strategy that integrates reversible adhesion, electrical reliability, and recyclability, offering a practical route for reconfigurable and sustainable soft–rigid hybrid electronics.

Advanced Functional Materials
Shandong University (CN), Harbin Institute of Technology (CN), Institute for Advanced Study (DE), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
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