Show Notes
What happens when electronics stop being rigid boxes and start becoming part of the world around us? In this episode of Material Minds, host Shrikrishnan Sankaran speaks with Professor Tobias Kraus about the future of flexible electronics, stretchable conductors, smart textiles, and recyclable electronic materials. From sensor-enabled T-shirts and intelligent furniture to the challenge of making semiconductors deform without breaking, this conversation explores how materials science could bring electronics into everyday life in ways that are softer, smarter, and more sustainable.
You’ll learn why today’s electronics struggle in fabrics and wearables, how conductive particles and composites make stretchable devices possible, and why end-of-life recycling must be built into the future of electronic design from the start.
Chapters 00:00 – Intro: A Cloth That Conducts Electricity 00:43 – Electronics Will Be Everywhere 02:11 – Why Electronics Aren’t Already in Everything 03:36 – Why Hard Electronics Fail on Soft Materials 05:05 – How Stretchable Conductors Actually Work 07:27 – Foldable vs. Stretchable Electronics 08:13 – Smart Clothing, Tires, and Durability Challenges 11:00 – Testing Electronics Over 50,000+ Stretch Cycles 12:20 – Can Semiconductors and LEDs Be Stretchable Too? 13:32 – E-Waste, Recycling, and the Future of Sustainable Electronics
To get to know what our host, Shrikrishnan Sankaran, does, check out his group's webpage – https://www.leibniz-inm.de/en/research/research-groups/bioprogrammable-materials/
You can also find him on Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/shrikrishnans.bsky.social), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrikrishnans/), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/shirish.sankaran/)
To get to know what our guest, Shrikrishnan Sankaran, does, check out his group's webpage – https://www.leibniz-inm.de/en/research/scientific-units/structure-formation/
To get to know more about the Leibniz Institute for New Materials, visit us at https://www.leibniz-inm.de/en/ or find us on Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/leibnizinm.bsky.social/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inm-leibniz-institute-for-new-materials/), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/leibniz_inm/)
Recording and editing by INM's communication designer, Lars Knaack – https://www.leibniz-inm.de/en/staff/b-a-knaack-lars/
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