Direct Wrinkling of Silver Nanowire Networks on Electrospun Polyurethane–Urea Mats for Stretchable Electronics

The growing demand for stretchable electronics is driving the development of better stretchable conductive sensors. Herein, we present a simple in situ fabrication strategy for constructing wrinkled silver nanowire (AgNW) networks, enabling high-performance stretchable electronics. AgNWs are first vacuum-filtered onto an electrospun polyurethane–urea (PUU) mat. A subsequent thermal treatment then simultaneously induces wrinkling and partially embeds the network within the elastic substrate. The fabricated conductive films exhibit outstanding electromechanical performance, featuring exceptional stretchability (> 900% elongation at break), with minimal resistance variation (Δ R / R 0 = 1.35 at 120% strain and 9.9 at 240% strain). They maintain excellent cycling stability over 1000 stretch/release cycles at 50% strain, coupled with remarkably low initial resistance (50 mΩ/sq) and high conductivity (5.02 × 10 6 S/m). Functioning dually as a stretchable electrode and strain sensor, the AgNW/PUU composite provides both electrical conduction and mechanical sensing capabilities. Notably, the embedded AgNWs network inherently provides antibacterial properties (> 99% bacterial reduction) and biocompatibility, while the wrinkled morphology enhances interfacial contact with biological tissues, rendering the conductive films particularly suitable for bio-integrated electronic devices. Crucially, the current AgNW-based conductive films exhibit random wrinkle patterns, making them withstand complex, multi-axial deformations in wearable applications.