Panasonic launches novel substrate film enabling the development of soft printed electronics

 

Panasonic Industrial Devices Sales Company of America, a division of the Panasonic Corporation of North America, through its Electronic Materials Division, is introducing BEYOLEX, a new thermoset stretchable film for printed electronics. This novel material is based on a proprietary non-silicone thermoset polymer chemistry developed by Panasonic researchers at the Electronic Materials laboratory in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan.

BEYOLEX features softness, conformability, high temperature resistance, and ultra-low permanent deformation after stretching. The stretchable film is 100 microns in thickness, delivered on a high temperature Polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) carrier for mechanical stability during processing and a thin Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or polyester) coversheet for protection. The high surface energy of the BEYOLEX substrate makes it compatible with a wide variety of functional inks and pastes, including screen-printed stretchable silver composite pastes; sintered metal pastes; and liquid metals like eutectic Indium Gallium alloys. These properties make the substrate attractive for many end-use applications including, but not limited to, health/wellness, automotive, sensors, haptics, Internet of Things (IoT), gaming, augmented reality (AR), soft robotics and aerospace.

"This novel non-silicone polymer resin system exhibits amazing properties when made into a film," said Takatoshi Abe, research manager, Panasonic Electronic Materials Division and co-inventor of BEYOLEX. "We think this technology – which our team developed, patented, and commercialised – can be the foundation for many new innovative products that will improve people's lives."

Caption: Panasonic launches a novel substrate film enabling the development of soft printed electronics (photo: Panasonic)