Guest Editor(s)
Dr. Manuel Reis Carneiro
Email: manuel.reiscarneiro@hest.ethz.ch
Affiliation: Biomedical and Mobile Health Technology Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Research Interests: sensors, soft electronics, bioelectronics, biomedical sensors, electrophysiology, e-textiles, stretchable electronics, printed electronics, conductive inks, electronics materials, digital fabrication, wearables
Dr. Elahe Parvini
Email: elahe.parvini@uc.pt
Affiliation: Institute of Systems and Robotics, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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Research Interests: materials for soft electronics, conductive and printable materials, polymer composites, conductive hydrogels, conductive ink, printed electronics, stretchable electronics, wearable sensors, bioelectronics, stretchable energy storage, additive manufacturing
Dr. Abdollah Hajalilou
Email: a.hajalilou@fct.unl.pt
Affiliation: 1. Physics Centre of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
2. LaPMET - Laboratory of Physics for Materials and Emergent Technologies, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Homepage:
Research Interests: liquid metal composites, nanostructured functional materials, conductive and printable materials, soft and stretchable electronics, printed electronics, wearable sensors, energy storage, sustainable and recyclable electronics, additive manufacturing
Summary
Polymers play a central role in flexible and stretchable electronics, serving as substrates, active sensing materials, conductors, dielectrics, adhesives, and protective coatings. Their tunable chemistry, mechanical compliance, and compatibility with diverse fabrication methods offer opportunities to develop electronic devices that accommodate bending, stretching, and complex geometries. Applications range from wearable bioelectronics and electronic textiles to soft robotics, flexible energy devices, and interactive surfaces. However, achieving reliable functionality requires balancing electrical performance with mechanical resilience, interfacial stability, environmental resistance, and processability. Understanding how polymer composition, molecular architecture, filler interactions, and processing conditions govern these properties is essential for advancing both materials design and practical implementation. The need to reduce electronic waste further motivates research into durable, repairable, recyclable, and biodegradable polymer-based electronic materials.
This Special Issue aims to bring together recent advances in the synthesis, formulation, characterisation, processing, and application of functional polymers and polymer composites for flexible and stretchable electronics. Its scope encompasses intrinsically functional polymers, conductive and dielectric composites, elastomers, gels, blends, coatings, and multilayer structures. Particular emphasis is placed on studies that establish clear relationships between material structure, processing, and electrical or electromechanical performance. Contributions addressing interfaces between polymers, conductive fillers, and integrated electronic components are also welcome, alongside approaches that improve manufacturing reproducibility, operational stability, and material recovery. We invite original research articles and critical reviews covering fundamental mechanisms, emerging materials, fabrication strategies, and device demonstrations supported by rigorous material characterisation.
Suggested themes include, but are not limited to:
-Synthesis and molecular design of conducting, semiconducting, dielectric, and ferroelectric polymers;
-Conductive polymer composites incorporating metallic, liquid-metal, carbon-based, or other functional fillers;
-Elastomers, hydrogels, and ionogels for deformable electronic and ionic devices;
-Structure–property relationships, charge transport, percolation, and electromechanical coupling;
-Polymer inks and formulations for printing, coating, patterning, and additive manufacturing;
-Surface modification, adhesion, encapsulation, and interface engineering in polymer-based electronics;
-Self-healing, reprocessable, recyclable, and biodegradable electronic materials;
-Mechanical fatigue, viscoelasticity, environmental ageing, and electrical stability under deformation;
-Functional polymer fibres, electronic textiles, and materials for skin-interfacing devices;
-Polymer-based sensors, soft actuators, flexible energy devices, and integrated electronic systems.
Keywords
functional polymers, polymer composites, flexible electronics, stretchable electronics, conductive polymers, structure–property relationships, polymer processing, sustainable electronic materials
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