Recently, the research team headed by Associate Professor Wen Li from the School of Engineering Science at the University of Science and Technology of China has made a remarkable breakthrough in the realm of flexible and stretchable micro-supercapacitors (MSCs). The group creatively introduced an electrochemical integrated driving patterning technique, successfully attaining the seamless integration and micro-interdigital patterning of liquid metal (LM) with MXene hydrogel. Based on LM/MXene hydrogel composite electrodes, they fabricated high-performance stretchable MSCs. The device can stretch up to 180% strain, retains over 80% of its capacitance after 1000 cycles, and has successfully built a wearable LED array power supply system. In this study, a PDMS flexible substrate was employed to create micro-groove arrays. By combining electrochemical reduction deposition of indium-gallium alloy films, electric field-driven directional alignment of MXene nanosheets, and liquid metal infiltration techniques, the research addressed the issues of weak electrode adhesion and low patterning precision prevalent in traditional processes. Moreover, the team boosted MXene exfoliation efficiency to over 92% by incorporating a LiF adjuvant. They reduced electrode thickness to below 50μm using a gradient electrolyte system and precisely regulated the linewidth (±5μm) and gap ratio (1:1.2) of liquid metal patterns with microfluidic technology, significantly enhancing the mechanical stability and electrochemical performance of the device. This accomplishment establishes a technical groundwork for the widespread application of flexible electronic systems.
