With the development of photonics, there has been a push towards optoelectronic devices that are flexible, rollable, wearable, user-friendly, and robust to improve human-machine interfaces. To be integrated onto human body, these devices must be biocompatible and be able to withstand mechanical deformation and different bending curvatures. Figure 1 shows the rollable and soft photonic meta-device.

The rollable and soft photonic meta-device are composed of polymer and metal multilayers on paper substrate. This design enables to exhibit high photonic density of states and scattering efficiency to enhance stimulated emission and induce laser action. The rollable and soft photonic meta-device remains well its functionalities on freeform surfaces with curvature radius of 1 mm, and can withstand repeated bending without performance degradation. The intensity of laser action is enhanced by 3.5 times as compared to the flat surface.

High elasticity and super hydrophobicity polymers make rollable and soft photonic meta-device to integrate with the fabrics materials as a firm, impermeable and wear-resistant photonic skin and optical communication devices. This device is lightweight, able to control of surface wettability and surface free energy to eliminate the external flow effect from the atmosphere as a packaging protection, as well as for in vivo implantable biosensors and detecting explosive molecules on freeform surface.

Key technology:
High photon density of states, can be rolled to curvature radius of 1 mm, wearable, biocompatibility, resistance to mechanical bending tests
Prospective applications:
Soft robots, photonic meta-skin, in vivo implantable biosensors and detecting explosive molecules on freeform surface