A new way to make thin, flexible sheets of light-emitting electronics could lead to better medical implants, wearable light sources and high-tech surgical gloves. By modifying processes used to make computer chips, researchers were able to create mesh-like sheets of miniaturized light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, and put them on any kind of substrate, ranging from aluminum foil and paper to rubber balloons and even leaves.
The research team has made a range of materials and devices using this method, including diagnostic tattoos implanted under the skin, light-emitting surgical gloves and sutures, and “smart” drug-delivery systems. They are also working with mc10, a start-up materials company based in Cambridge, Mass., to commercialize some of these stretchy LEDs.
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