Quantum mechanics

Voltage

Engineering

Field electron emission

Stretchable electronics

Materials science

Self-healing

Brightness

Capacitor

Alternative medicine

Physics

Nanotechnology

Dielectric

Optics

Electronics

Medicine

Electron

Optoelectronics

Electrical engineering

Pathology

Permittivity

Nature Materials

Stretchable optoelectronic materials are essential for applications in wearable electronics, human–machine interfaces and soft robots. However, intrinsically stretchable optoelectronic devices such as light-emitting capacitors usually require high driving alternating voltages and excitation frequencies to achieve sufficient luminance in ambient lighting conditions. Here, we present a healable, low-field illuminating optoelectronic stretchable (HELIOS) device by introducing a transparent, high permittivity polymeric dielectric material. The HELIOS device turns on at an alternating voltage of 23 V and a frequency below 1 kHz, safe operating conditions for human–machine interactions. We achieved a brightness of 1,460 cd m−2 at 2.5 V µm−1 with stable illumination demonstrated up to a maximum of 800% strain. The materials also self-healed mechanically and electronically from punctures or when severed. We further demonstrate various HELIOS light-emitting capacitor devices in environment sensing using optical feedback. Moreover, our devices can be powered wirelessly, potentially enabling applications for untethered damage-resilient soft robots. Stretchable and self-healing light-emitting capacitors operating at low frequency and low voltage have been realized using a transparent elastomeric dielectric with high permittivity.

A transparent, self-healing and high-κ dielectric for low-field-emission stretchable optoelectronics