A Stretchable, Sweat-Resistant Electrophoretic Display Device Driven by Human-Safe Voltage for Smart E-Textile Application

Abstract

The demand for wearable display devices capable of real-time information collection is growing rapidly. Among them, electrophoretic display (EPD) shows features of ultra-low power consumption and high readability in sunlight, making them particularly suitable for wearable applications. However, due to high driving voltage and susceptibility to salt, few wearable EPD devices are reported so far. To address this, a stretchable EPD compatible with textiles is fabricated based on waterborne polyurethane. The device exhibits great performance to resist water and sweat, achieving a whiteness of 35 (Y in CIE XYZ) and a contrast ratio of 13.5 at a driving voltage of 30 V. Benefit from the device's excellent bistability and flexibility, there is no degrading to its optoelectronic performance after bending, twisting or stretching. For demonstration, an 8 × 8 matrix display is realized, showcasing that this process is suitable for wearable textile display applications.