**KAIST-ETRI Develops Next-Generation Electronics Technology Enhancing Stretchability and Stability of Electronic Devices**
A domestic research team has developed an electronic substrate that can stretch up to 700%. By mimicking the structure of tree roots firmly fixed in soil, they secured stretchability, proving its broad applicability to stretchable electronic products.
On the 6th, it was announced that Professor Inkyu Park’s mechanical engineering team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed an innovative technology called “Bioinspired Interfacial Engineered Flexible Island (BIEFI)” in collaboration with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), overcoming the existing limitations in developing stretchable electronics.
The research team applied structures of primary and secondary roots to the design to distribute stress and implemented strong adhesion between the two substrates through mechanical bonding and interlocking.
In this structure, the primary roots effectively disperse stress and delay interface cracking, while the secondary roots enhance adhesion between substrates, helping maintain the stability of the interface even during deformation.
Through this, the team secured a stretchability of up to 700% and successfully designed a stable structure that withstands over 1,000 physical deformation attempts. It was designed to withstand various physical deformations (stretching, twisting, compression, etc.) and demonstrated the ability to provide a long service life despite repeated deformations.
Professor Inkyu Park stated, “This bioinspired design could become a new standard for next-generation electronics technologies, and we plan to advance the technology through optimization of interface design, improvement of adhesion, and imitation of more complex root structures.”
This research was published in the February 2025 online edition of the prominent international journal “Nature Communications” with Osman Gul, a doctoral candidate in KAIST’s mechanical engineering program, as the first author, alongside contributions from Professor Inkyu Park, Professor Taeksoo Kim, and Dr. Hyejin Kim from ETRI.