Fiber-Reinforced Origami Electronics with High Rigidity and Flexibility for Display Applications

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However, the transformations involved in folding and deployment cause stress concentration on the flexure hinges of the origami structure, potentially resulting in electronic malfunction. Here, we report origami electronics based on a fiber-reinforced electronic composite. A thin and soft electronic composite based on a PEDOT:PSS electrode minimizes the stress during folding without causing electrode damage. Nylon is embedded in this foldable composite and, despite being thin and flexible enough for folding, provides high tensile resistance to prevent plastic deformation and tearing under tension. This strategy enables the creation of flexure hinges for origami electronics that maintain mechanical and electrical stability under repeated folding and deployment. Origami electronics that integrate the high-durability composite can be used in display applications that support 25-fold compression with the Flasher origami structure and 2D-to-3D deployment with the Kresling origami structure. The ability of origami electronics to withstand bending and tensile stress facilitates the realization of shape-reconfiguring displays that require repeated reconfiguration across multiple flexure hinges. Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for devices Physical sciences/Materials science/Structural materials/Mechanical properties Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Introduction Origami structures, which are capable of forming various three-dimensional (3D) structures via simple folding of a two-dimensional (2D) plane, offer an approach for diversifying the forms of electromechanical systems 1 – 5 . These 3D structures are determined by the design and arrangement of flexure hinges or crease-type hinges, which are flexible under external forces 6 , 7 . This strategy allows the realization of physical expandability and a more pronounced volumetric effect, in contrast to the limitations of 2D structures. For example, depending on the pattern, the dense arrangement of hinges enables compression and expansion by several hundred times for the Flasher pattern or the construction of a 3D shape for the Kresling pattern 8 – 11 . When integrated with electronic components, such origami structures can have potential applications in various fields, including biomedical applications requiring spatial efficiency, soft robots engineered for locomotion without complex structures, and electronic devices designed to transform into 3D configurations 12 – 18 . In origami-based electromechanical systems, the hinge is thin to minimize the bending stress applied to the embedded electrode during folding, thus preventing electronic malfunction and mechanical damage. Flexible electronics with a low stiffness can serve as the hinge in origami electronics through adaptation of the bending stress 19 , 20 . These electronics are typically composed of a conductive layer, such as a metal film or nanowires, deposited on a soft or thin substrate, which ensures high durability against folding 20 – 24 . Nevertheless, such flexibility and softness of the electrode make it vulnerable to tensile forces, which can stretch or tear it. This vulnerability caused by a low stiffness may limit the stability of the hinge in origami electronics during repeated tension in deployment. Fiber reinforcement is a method that preserves the inherent outstanding properties of a material while compensating for its relatively weak characteristics 25 , 26 . This approach can serve as an effective strategy for ensuring durability against both folding and tension, which is an essential requirement for origami-based electronics. For example, nylon, which is a type of fiber, possesses high tensile resistance due to its robust and resilient characteristics, which enable it to resist strong pulling forces and, upon elongation, absorb excess stress. Here, we present origami electronics based on a fiber-reinforced electronic flexure hinge that can endure folding and pulling during repeated deployment. To achieve the conflicting material properties, the flexure hinge consists of an electronic composite based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with tough nylon embedded. Before integrating this flexure hinge into an origami structure, we optimized the thickness and spacing of the rigid links of the origami to be connected by the flexure hinge, which reduced the stress on the flexure hinge during out-folding. The origami electronics integrated with the flexure hinge maintained their conductivity after repeated in-folding and out-folding cycles because PEDOT:PSS coated on flexible PDMS. Additionally, the embedded nylon absorbed the tensile forces generated during deployment, preventing the origami electronics from stretching, as confirmed by finite element analysis (FEA) simulations and cyclic tensile tests. This origami electronic structure highly durable against external forces was integrated with a touch panel and a light-emitting diode (LED), demonstrating its potential for display applications. Furthermore, application of this strategy to dense origami patterns with angular designs (e.g., Flasher and Kresling patterns) demonstrated that the origami electronics reliably operate without mechanical or electrical malfunction during complex geometric transformations. Results Overview of origami electronics based on a fiber-reinforced flexure hinge The schematic illustration in Fig. 1 A shows the origami electronics integrating a fiber-reinforced electronic composite designed to withstand bending and tensile stress during folding and deployment. The polymer electrode layer in the composite is composed of PEDOT:PSS, which consists of hole-transporting PEDOT and dispersed network-forming PSS 27 . PEDOT chains form linear interconnected pathways anchored to the PSS matrix, enabling stable electrical conduction under repeated bending deformation 28 , 29 . Additionally, the nylon fibers embedded in the composite as fiber reinforcement prevent irreversible stretching and tearing while maintaining the current flow during deployment accompanied by pulling. This highly durable composite is integrated with rigid links to form the origami electronics, enabling folding and deployment according to the designed origami pattern (Fig. 1 B). The exposed electronic composite between the rigid links acts as a flexure hinge within the origami electronics. The folding stress in the folding origami electronics can become concentrated on the flexure hinge, with mechanical and electrical damage. However, the flexure hinge of PEDOT:PSS, sandwiched by a thin encapsulation layer (polyurethane) and a substrate (PDMS), allows the origami electronics to maintain LED operation without electrical failure, thus exhibiting a higher foldability than that of other flexible electrodes, including Ag nanowires and thin Au films (Fig. 1 C). This thin flexure hinge may seem vulnerable to pulling during deployment of the origami electronics, but the relatively high toughness of nylon can prevent tearing of the hinge by absorbing strain energy (Fig. 1 D). Such origami electronics with a high resistance to folding and pulling allow various applications that utilize mechanical shape transformation. For example, as shown in Fig. 1 E, the dense arrangement and angular design of the hinges enable the electronics to be expandable and portable. High compression of Flasher pattern-based origami electronics can expose numerous hinges to stress but does not induce resistance changes associated with mechanical or electrical damage. Another hinge pattern design for the origami electronics involves a structure that transforms between 2D and 3D configurations (Fig. 1 F). Kresling-pattern-based origami electronics can be utilized for wearable electronics, offering storage efficiency in an easily foldable state and enabling touch-based machine‒human interactions with users when deployed. During such repeated shape transformation and tactile input, the origami electronics do not exhibit electronic malfunction. The detailed fabrication process of the origami electronics is described in the Supplementary Method and Fig. S1 . Optimization of the folding configuration for origami electronics Figure 2 A shows the layer structure of the fabricated origami electronics based on smart composite microstructures that enable folding through rigid links based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and the fiber-reinforced flexure hinges 6 , 30 . As shown in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image in Fig. 2 B, the PET layer (~ 200 µm) is attached to the fiber-reinforced electronic composite based on PEDOT:PSS (~ 400 nm) encapsulated in polyurethane (~ 20 µm) and PDMS (~ 150 µm) using an optically clear adhesive (OCA) (~ 50 µm) to form origami electronics. The relatively high thickness and stiffness (Young’s modulus: 2.8 ~ 3.1 GPa) 31 of the PET layer can prevent bending during folding of the origami electronics (Fig. S2 ). Additionally, the elastic PEDOT:PSS embedded in the electronic composite, which serves as the electronic component of the origami electronics, offers mechanical durability against repeated folding. Here, laser etching of PET exposes the electronic composite to form a flexure hinge for folding of the origami electronics. This folding consists of mountain folding (Out-folding) and valley folding (In-folding) (Fig. 2 C). Compared with valley folding, mountain folding toward a rigid link can induce greater strain because of potential collisions between rigid links. Such collisions may lead to electrode disconnection accompanied by stretching of the flexure hinge. Figure 2 D shows the optimal gap distance between rigid links to prevent excessive strain on the flexure hinge during mountain folding. Narrow gaps (200, 400, and 600 µm) lead to electrode disconnection during folding, whereas a relatively wide gap (800 µm) prevents excessive strain. The folding stability with the optimized gap is further demonstrated by cycling tests under mountain folding. As shown in Fig. 2 E, the origami electronics maintain stable electric resistance over repeated mountain folding (~ 20,000 cycles) without collisions between rigid links. Additionally, valley folding of the origami electronics does not damage the electrode because of the inherent flexibility of the flexure hinge, despite a relatively narrow gap (~ 200 µm) (Fig. 2 F). In addition to the gap between rigid links, stress concentration occurs at a vertex where multiple flexure hinges meet. This stress concentration becomes even more significant as the pattern of the origami electronics increases in complexity because of the convergence of more flexure hinges at a single vertex. Figure 2 G shows the Miura and Waterbomb origami patterns, which incorporate both mountain folding and valley folding motions and a vertex with four and six hinges, respectively. To minimize stress concentration at the vertex, we performed additional laser etching at that location. The optimized gap and removed vertex, as shown in Fig. 2 H and Movie S1, allow the origami electronics to maintain stable electrical resistance after the initial stabilization phase (~ 50 cycles). Additionally, the results of repeated folding cycle tests (10,000 cycles) of the Miura and Waterbomb origami patterns shown in Fig. 2 I, Fig. S3 and Fig. S4 demonstrate that gap optimization and vertex removal are effective approaches for integrating embedded electronics into repeatedly folded origami structures and are not limited to specific patterns. Tensile optimization and analysis of origami electronics A flexure hinge with low rigidity and a small thickness in origami electronics is effective in minimizing folding-induced stress, but its inherent flexibility and softness may lead to stretching or tearing. As a result, it becomes vulnerable to strong pulling forces applied by the user during deployment. The tough nylon embedded in the fabricated origami electronics can prevent irreversible deformation induced by tensile forces (Movie S2). Additionally, dense embedding of the nylon enhances the resistance to tensile forces. The schematic image in Fig. 3 A illustrates the calculation process for determining the nylon embedding ratio within the electronic composite (fiber volume fraction, \(\:{V}_{f}\) ) on the basis of its density. As shown in Fig. 3 B and Fig. S5 , increasing the amount of nylon fiber in the flexure hinge ( \(\:{V}_{f}\) : 0.75%, 1%, 1.5%, and 3%) allows the origami electronics to withstand a fracture force proportional to the fiber content (7.9 N, 11.4 N, 12.5 N, and 22.1 N), indicating enhanced tensile resistance. Additionally, such durability during pulling can guarantee electrical reliability and prevent mechanical fracture. Figure 3 C presents the measured resistance of origami electronics corresponding to the \(\:{V}_{f}\) conditions shown above under tensile loading. When a tensile force is applied to the origami electronics, a relatively high \(\:{V}_{f}\) (3%) enables the structure to maintain electrical resistance under large tensile loads (up to ~ 20 N). To confirm the performance of the optimized origami electronics ( \(\:{V}_{f}\) : 3%) for high resistance to pulling, as shown in the schematic sequence in Fig. 3 D, pulling was simulated via FEA. Nylon can absorb tensile stress during pulling of the origami electronics (Fig. S6). This stress absorption prevents excessive stretching of the flexure hinge with low stiffness by minimizing the stress (~ 22.2 MPa) transmitted to the hinge. In contrast, the origami electronics without embedded nylon exhibit a high stress concentration (~ 48.2 MPa) at the flexure hinge (Fig. 3 E). Such origami electronics demonstrating stress relief in the simulation achieve limitation of the strain to within the elastic deformation range of the hinge, as shown in the strain‒stress curve in Fig. 3 F. However, application of the same tensile stress to the origami electronics without nylon leads to plastic deformation at the flexure hinge (Fig. 3 G). The origami electronics can be exposed not only to such tensile forces during deployment but also to tensile impacts as the deployment speed increases, causing damage due to over-deployment accompanied by overstretching. For example, as shown in Fig. 3 H, when the user rapidly deploys the origami electronics (~ 50 ms), the flexure hinge can undergo irreversible stretching, but the embedded nylon prevents this deformation. Additionally, the embedded electrodes in the origami electronics can be vulnerable to such tensile impacts. As shown in Fig. 3 I and Fig. S7, rapid dynamic deployment (applied at ~ 5 mm/s) of the origami electronics induces an increase in the electrical resistance (~ 0.6%), in contrast to the structure with nylon reinforcement. Such a slight increase in the electrical resistance may appear negligible, but continuous exposure to such tensile impacts can lead to progressive damage to the electrode, resulting in complete failure of the electronic functionality of the origami electronics. Figure 3 J shows the results of repeated tensile impact tests (~ 100 cycles) on the origami electronics, comparing structures with and without nylon reinforcement. The origami electronics with nylon embedded maintain electrical stability by absorbing the tensile impacts during repeated deployment, whereas the accumulated tensile impacts on the origami electronics without nylon reinforcement cause electrical failure, accompanied by a change in resistance (~ 23.2%). Incorporation of display components into origami structures The fiber-reinforced origami electronics can be utilized for display applications that incorporate both a touch panel and LED components. When the Miura origami pattern is applied to the structure, it enables the realization of a highly space-efficient display (compression ratio: 8.2 times) (Fig. 4 A and Fig. S8) 32 . The fabricated Miura origami-based electronics integrate a touch panel, which is one of the components of the display system. The touch panel used operates via a surface capacitive mechanism 24 , 33 , forming a uniform electric field across the embedded PEDOT:PSS electrode layer. When an object contacts the surface, the origami electronics perceive the touch by detecting a disruption in the electric field. For example, when a user touches the surface of the origami-based touch panel, the disturbance in the electric field induces a current flow from the edge electrodes to the touch point, which enables the exact location of the touch to be determined (Fig. S10A). A touch adjacent to the electrode (A1) connected to the current meter, as shown in Fig. 4 B, induces a relatively high current change (touch point (TP)#1: ~ 37.3%), whereas a touch farther from A1 results in a lower current change (TP#2: ~ 5.1%, TP#3: ~ 2.8%, TP#4: ~ 4.8%). This distance-dependent current variation enables localization of the touch point (Fig. S10B, C, and D). Such distance-dependent identification can remain reliable during folding (30% and 90%) of the origami electronics, which enables stable touch input under dynamic deformation conditions (Fig. 4 C and Fig. S11). When this folding and deployment deformation is repeated, it may disturb the drawing input on the touch panel because of fatigue degradation of the hinge (Fig. 4 D). However, the origami electronics designed to withstand folding and pulling continue to detect writing on the touch panel after multiple folding (~ 100 times) and deployment (100 times) cycles (Fig. 4 E and F). Further details of the performance evaluation of the touch panel based on the PEDOT:PSS electrode are provided in Supplementary Note 1. We also integrated LEDs into the origami electronics to provide light emission, which is a fundamental function of a display. Figure 4 G shows that the PEDOT:PSS-based patterned circuit passes through the flexure hinge. This patterned electrode, as shown in Fig. 4 H, allows the emission of multiple LEDs (~ 16 units) to be modulated, enabling the generation of diverse visual patterns. Although a relatively narrow circuit pattern (~ 3 mm) for selectively controlling each LED can lead to disconnection during folding and pulling, the origami electronics form diverse patterns (letters: M, O, S, T) through controlled LEDs (Fig. 4 I). The cycling test in Fig. 4 J emphasizes the electronic durability of the origami electronics under repeated deformation. When multiple folding and pulling cycles (~ 100 times) are applied, the origami electronics continue to receive a stable current (~ 1.65 mA) without circuit damage (Fig. 4 K). Such maintenance of the electronic functionality under narrow circuit layouts in the origami structure provides the foundation for reconfiguration of electronics into various shapes. Further details of the design of LED circuits based on PEDOT:PSS are provided in Supplementary Note 2 and Fig. S12. Highly compressible displays and 3D wearable electronics The arrangement of flexure hinges defines the deployable configuration of the origami electronics. In this configuration, an increase in the number of hinges and the application of an angle design allow the origami electronics to perform more complex and precise mechanical functions. A high hinge density can cause continuous stress related to folding and pulling in regions with densely packed hinges. However, this challenge can be addressed by the proposed approach based on a fiber-reinforced flexure hinge. For example, Flasher pattern-based origami electronics can offer both portability and expandability (~ 25 times) to the user through a dense pattern and angle control of the flexure hinge (Fig. 5 A and Fig. S13) 34 , 35 . Multiple LEDs were embedded in Flasher origami electronics to enable display functionality (Movie S3). Figure 5 B shows the compression process of the Flasher origami electronics while the letter “O” is displayed to verify the stability of the electronic functionality during folding. Upon compression around the central core origami cell, the bending stress may appear to concentrate at the dense hinges, but the LEDs continue to display the letter without a change in the applied current. Such compressed origami electronics experience tensile stress in deployment, but their toughness allows them to maintain output without current changes (Fig. 5 C). The detailed optimization of the high compression ratio of the Flasher pattern-based origami structure is provided in Supplementary Note 3. Another example of a complex pattern of the flexure hinges presents a potential application in wearable electronics using 3D shape transformation of the Kresling pattern. A densely repeated Kresling pattern (cylindrical structure) composed of pairs of triangular facets enables the transformation of electronics from a 2D to 3D structure (Fig. 5 D) 36 , 37 . This pattern modulates the folding resistance, allowing the cylindrical structure to either be compressed under gentle pressure or maintain its 3D shape under a relatively strong pressing force. For example, the cylindrical structure formed by a triangular pattern with a 25° angle exhibits highly compliant structural behavior (Fig. S14A). In contrast, a relatively large angle of 65° leads to a high-rigidity structure that resists folding under a pressing force (~ 500 g) (Fig. S14B). These two angles (25° and 65°), when used in triangular patterns as interior angles, provide a bistable structural strategy that allows a cylindrical structure to be selectively tuned for easy foldability and structural robustness. Figure 5 E presents the sequential folding and deployment process (100 cycles) of the origami electronics designed with the Kresling patterns with defined angles (25° and 65°). The initial resistance of the embedded electrode is preserved throughout the repetitive deformation process. This electrical stability is also effective in the high-rigidity mode, in which the origami electronics withstand heavy loads, preserving their electrical functionality and shape (Fig. 5 F). Such Kresling-patterned origami electronics can be utilized as wearable electronics worn on a finger, enabling remote control of a smartphone (Fig. 5 G). The high compressibility of the wearable electronics allows for portability and storability before they are worn. Once deployed, the wearable electronics can adapt to a finger and stably maintain their structural configuration under the forces applied during touch. As shown in Fig. 5 H, sequential deployment and compression of the wearable electronics do not affect their touch-sensing performance. This stability of the electronic function enables the wearable electronics to be used to respond to an incoming call through a sliding touch motion (Fig. 5 I and Movie S4). A detailed analysis of each state of the bistable 3D cylindrical structure is provided in Supplementary Note 4. Discussion In this study, we developed fiber-reinforced origami electronics capable of geometric transformation without fatigue degradation. The main strategy to prevent this degradation relies on a durable flexure hinge integrating a flexible electronic composite and tough nylon. These different mechanical advantages minimize bending and tensile stresses on the flexure hinge, respectively, during the repeated shape transformation of origami electronics. Such stability against repeated stresses realizes the potential for deployable displays through the availability of numerous flexure hinge arrangements and angular configurations. The large-range compression–expansion and 2D-to-3D transformation of the origami electronics demonstrate the potential of the origami electronics for various display applications based on shape reconfiguration. The current application for this strategy focuses on shape-reconfigurable displays, but when an actuator (e.g., a thin polymer-based actuator) 38 – 40 is integrated into the flexure hinge layer, its use could be extended to robotic applications that incorporate both actuation and sensing functionalities. Methods FEA of the neutral plane of and strain on the electrode when bending the electronic composite. 3D FEA simulations for determining the tensile stress distribution in the flexure hinges were constructed using ABAQUS software. The elements of the flexure hinges, composed of rigid links and the electronic composite, were implemented as C3D8R (8-node linear brick, reduced integration, hourglass control). Both the fiber-reinforced and nonreinforced flexure hinges were expected to be linear elastic materials. The Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio of these flexure hinges were as follows: = 5.075 GPa, = 0.3, = 4.5 GPa, = 0.33, = 1.4 MPa, = 0.48, = 1.2 GPa, and = 0.33. Folding cycle tests of the origami electronics Repeated folding experiments of the origami electronics were conducted using a linear actuator (LSM6-NK235630 Linear Motor, Motorbank, South Korea). Acrylic folding supports were mounted on the two ends of the actuator to serve as fixtures for the folding process. The test specimen was secured between the supports using adhesive tape, and repeated folding motions were induced by driving the linear actuator. The displacement and speed of the actuator were precisely controlled using a control board (Arduino Mega 2560, Arduino, Italy) in combination with a DC‒DC buck converter module (LM2596, generic, China) and Arduino IDE software. A total of 10,000 to 20,000 folding cycles were performed. During the experiment, the electrical characteristics of the specimen, such as the changes in its resistance, were monitored in real time using a data acquisition (DAQ) system (DEWEsoft). Pulling cycle test of the origami electronics in deployment To investigate electrode failure caused by tensile stress on the flexure hinge during unfolding of origami electronics, tensile tests were conducted. First, to observe the stretching behavior of the flexure hinge, the two ends of the origami electronics were held, and the structure was unfolded at a speed of 200 mm/s. The unfolding process was recorded using a high-speed digital camera (Phantom MIRO EX4 and MIRO C320, Vision Research, USA) operating at 1000 frames per second to accurately capture the unfolding time. To evaluate the electrical performance of the origami electronics under rapid and repeated unfolding conditions, cyclic tensile tests were performed using a universal testing machine (3342 UTM, Instron Co., Norwood, MA, USA) at a speed of 5 mm/s for 100 cycles. During the tests, the electrical signal between the two electrodes of the origami electronics was continuously monitored in real time using a DAQ system (DEWEsoft). Declarations Data availability All the data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files. Acknowledgments S.H. acknowledges financial support from the Ajou University research fund. This work is supported by funding from the NRF of Korea (grant nos. RS-2023-00277110, RS-2023-00271830, RS-2024-00403639, RS-2024-00466111, and RS-2024-00411660). Author contributions D.G., M.K., and S.H. contributed equally to this work. D.G. performed the design and engineering investigation of the origami structure. M.K. contributed to the design and experiments of origami electronics with integrated micro-LED circuits. S.H. contributed to the design and experiments of 3D touch panels based on origami structures. J.J. and I.H. manufactured the electronic composite. Y.R. and S.H. supervised the project. Competing Interests All the authors declare that they have no financial or nonfinancial competing interests. References Rus, D. & Tolley, M. T. Design, fabrication and control of origami robots. Nature Reviews Materials 3, 101–112, doi: 10.1038/s41578-018-0009-8 (2018). 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Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.docx MovieS1.mp4 MovieS2.mp4 MovieS3.mp4 MovieS4.mp4 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in npj Flexible Electronics → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 20 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 18 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 10 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 24 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 21 Jun, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 16 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 12 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6877520","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":476636522,"identity":"96979260-af99-4ca3-bb9d-635bbf0774a0","order_by":0,"name":"Dohyeon Gong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ajou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dohyeon","middleName":"","lastName":"Gong","suffix":""},{"id":476636523,"identity":"2ced25d7-a526-4907-b693-19c25497650f","order_by":1,"name":"Minji Kang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ajou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Minji","middleName":"","lastName":"Kang","suffix":""},{"id":476636524,"identity":"314f5891-bf60-43d3-8765-eceebbedf9d1","order_by":2,"name":"Suhyeon Hwang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ajou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Suhyeon","middleName":"","lastName":"Hwang","suffix":""},{"id":476636525,"identity":"e2d07f90-a4c3-4aa4-a1c9-77fef7e25343","order_by":3,"name":"Jungwang Jo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ajou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jungwang","middleName":"","lastName":"Jo","suffix":""},{"id":476636526,"identity":"e98bb982-0921-4038-83d8-19bc1e63cb92","order_by":4,"name":"Insic Hong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ajou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Insic","middleName":"","lastName":"Hong","suffix":""},{"id":476636527,"identity":"ceef4f35-4553-443c-bee3-d09335696f86","order_by":5,"name":"Yeonwook Roh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of California San Diego","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yeonwook","middleName":"","lastName":"Roh","suffix":""},{"id":476636528,"identity":"7886a24e-ed55-4d70-baf8-5826e995d091","order_by":6,"name":"Seungyong Han","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4ElEQVRIie2PvQrCMBSFrwid4s8YEdpXiATUyWdJCdRFQXB1qIsuUteCTyG+wJVApj5AB2dnQXARxPq3enUTzDcczoV8cALgcPwkZZRF+gD4uDmteGpcpPxGYeJYZBi/blIJ0ijcjCa7/nJqLIdJDxorfK+IXBuZ2v0wRRtxsBqaVUUoPIok88wwxqzNwUPwGTls0Dmzi+kHd+XygQL5QMjKzChxU0ozhCaliGyvZCUxrTVa3Q0TzRoLathco2QnE/i52eaHU8/nGTWsrp6FI0DRyZ8A1PBVYvqxw+Fw/CdXR0BD7VZT0uIAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Ajou University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Seungyong","middleName":"","lastName":"Han","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-12 07:23:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6877520/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6877520/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00485-6","type":"published","date":"2025-11-03T15:58:08+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":85568949,"identity":"1f595106-a2bc-45c4-834d-eb3542d59101","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:30:18","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":686666,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigami electronics based on a fiber-reinforced electronic composite.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(A)\u003c/strong\u003e Schematic illustration of origami electronics with high-durability flexure hinges for repeated folding and deployment. \u003cstrong\u003e(B)\u003c/strong\u003e Exploded-view schematic illustration of the origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(C)\u003c/strong\u003e Normalized resistance ( \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;of PEDOT:PSS, Ag NWs, and a Au film in the half-folded state, and corresponding images of a PEDOT:PSS-based LED circuit demonstrating electrically stable operation. \u003cstrong\u003e(D)\u003c/strong\u003e Strain energy absorption of fiber-reinforced PDMS and PDMS under tension. \u003cstrong\u003e(E)\u003c/strong\u003e Photograph of origami electronics applied as a 25-fold compressible display, and schematic illustration of the electrical stability during folding and deployment. \u003cstrong\u003e(F)\u003c/strong\u003ePhotograph of a storage-capable ring-shaped 3D touch panel application, and schematic illustration of the electrical stability during operation.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/a3c8654c0cf1cb476ae09998.png"},{"id":85568948,"identity":"0a90be57-82a0-48f2-81d8-21f3ed4a3067","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:30:18","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":769655,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMechanical and electrical characterization of fiber-reinforced origami electronics during folding. (A)\u003c/strong\u003eSchematic illustration of the layered structure of the origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(B)\u003c/strong\u003eCross-sectional SEM image of the origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(C)\u003c/strong\u003e Schematic illustration of two folding types in the origami electronics: mountain folding and valley folding. \u003cstrong\u003e(D)\u003c/strong\u003eComparison of the electrical stabilities (normalized resistance, \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;) during mountain folding with various flexure hinge gap distances (200 μm, 400 μm, 600 μm, and 800 μm). \u003cstrong\u003e(E)\u003c/strong\u003e Photographs of mountain folding, and measured resistance over 20,000 mountain folding cycles. \u003cstrong\u003e(F)\u003c/strong\u003e Photographs of valley folding, and measured resistance over 20,000 valley folding cycles. \u003cstrong\u003e(G)\u003c/strong\u003ePhotographs of origami electronics with the Miura pattern (4 flexure hinges) and the Waterbomb pattern (6 flexure hinges), along with an image showing vertex removal. \u003cstrong\u003e(H)\u003c/strong\u003e Comparison of resistances before folding and after 50 and 100 folding cycles for the Miura (purple) and Waterbomb (green) patterns. \u003cstrong\u003e(I)\u003c/strong\u003e Measured resistances of origami electronics with the Miura pattern during 10,000 folding cycles.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/05b47d5b5cde1895239eeb5a.png"},{"id":85568960,"identity":"825012c2-b02e-4a09-9621-2cfeb5ceb674","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:30:18","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":699599,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMechanical and electrical characterization of fiber-reinforced origami electronics during deployment. (A)\u003c/strong\u003eSchematic illustration of the fiber volume fraction (\u003cem\u003eV\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cem\u003ef \u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e, %) and corresponding formula for \u003cem\u003eV\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cem\u003ef\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e in the fiber-reinforced origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(B)\u003c/strong\u003e Fracture force under uniaxial tension of the origami electronics depending on the fiber volume fraction (\u003cem\u003eV\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cem\u003ef \u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e: 0.75%, 1%, 1.5% and 3%). \u003cstrong\u003e(C) \u003c/strong\u003eComparison of the resistance changes in the origami electronics with various fiber volume fractions after uniaxial tension.\u003cstrong\u003e (D)\u003c/strong\u003eSchematic illustration of the elastic behavior of flexure hinges in the origami electronics under applied tension, accompanied by a photograph and an FEA simulation of the flexure hinge. \u003cstrong\u003e(E)\u003c/strong\u003e Schematic illustration of the plastic deformation process in the flexure hinges of the fiber-free origami electronics under excessive strain, accompanied by a photograph and an FEA simulation. \u003cstrong\u003e(F)\u003c/strong\u003e Resultsof a uniaxial tensile test on the origami electronics with nylon reinforcement. \u003cstrong\u003e(G)\u003c/strong\u003e Results of a uniaxial tensile test on the origami electronics without nylon reinforcement. \u003cstrong\u003e(H)\u003c/strong\u003e Time sequence of the tensile impact test on the flexure hinge (50 ms), with magnified images of deformation without and with nylon reinforcement (\u003cem\u003eV\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cem\u003ef\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e = 0% and 3%). \u003cstrong\u003e(I)\u003c/strong\u003e Measured resistance of the origami electronics without and with nylon reinforcement during tensile impact tests(speed = 5mm/s). \u003cstrong\u003e(J)\u003c/strong\u003e Measured resistance of the origami electronics with and without nylon reinforcement under repeated tensile impact tests (~100 cycles).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/653d7e041346eae3fcd3c808.png"},{"id":85568955,"identity":"355452ab-f158-4bd4-9550-4be2b43879be","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:30:18","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":832629,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntegration of display components into fiber-reinforced origami electronics.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(A)\u003c/strong\u003e Photograph of the origami touch panel based on the Miura pattern. \u003cstrong\u003e(B)\u003c/strong\u003e Current responses at TP#1–TP#4 detected from A1 upon touch input on the touch panel. \u003cstrong\u003e(C)\u003c/strong\u003e Comparison of the currents at TP#1–TP#4 detected from A1 upon touch input in the deployed (red), 30% folded (yellow), and 90% folded (green) states. \u003cstrong\u003e(D)\u003c/strong\u003e Photographs of the folded and deployed touch panel. \u003cstrong\u003e(E)\u003c/strong\u003e Reliable drawing input on the touch panel without electrical failure after 100 folding cycles. \u003cstrong\u003e(F)\u003c/strong\u003e Reliable drawing input on the touch panel without electrical failure after 100 pulling cycles. \u003cstrong\u003e(G)\u003c/strong\u003eSchematic illustration of LED integration based on Miura-pattern-based origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(H)\u003c/strong\u003e Schematic illustration of the selective control of anLED array (4 × 4) for letter display in the origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(I)\u003c/strong\u003e Pattern formation (letters: M, O, S, T, all) through sequential control during folding and pulling processes. \u003cstrong\u003e(J)\u003c/strong\u003e Photographs of the folding/pulling process of an LED array based on the origami electronics. (All 16 LEDs are on.) \u003cstrong\u003e(K)\u003c/strong\u003e LED current measured during 100 repeated folding and pulling cycles.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/4769dbdb4e0927a412a858c7.png"},{"id":85568962,"identity":"c9ad28b0-ec8f-4dc0-bce8-eac743af7d35","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:30:18","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":810201,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApplication of the fiber-reinforced origami electronics in deployable display systems.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(A)\u003c/strong\u003e LED array based on fiber-reinforced origami electronics with a Flasher pattern enabling 25-fold compression. \u003cstrong\u003e(B)\u003c/strong\u003e Photographs and measured current (\u003cem\u003e∆I/I\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cem\u003e0\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e) during folding of the Flasher pattern-based origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(C)\u003c/strong\u003e Photographs and measured current during pulling of the Flasher pattern-based origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(D)\u003c/strong\u003e Bistable Kresling-patterned 3D touch panel based on the origami electronics. \u003cstrong\u003e(E)\u003c/strong\u003e Measured resistance of the 3D touch panel during repeated folding and pulling cycles. \u003cstrong\u003e(F)\u003c/strong\u003e Measured resistance of the 3D touch panel under an external force (250 times the weight) in the robust state (state 2). \u003cstrong\u003e(G)\u003c/strong\u003e Schematic illustration of the 3D touch panel used as a wearable touch ring. \u003cstrong\u003e(H)\u003c/strong\u003e Measured current of the 3D touch panel in the deployed and storage states. \u003cstrong\u003e(I)\u003c/strong\u003e Sequential images of the user interaction with the 3D touch panel for call acceptance.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/56a01306c8b36c1f758b85d5.png"},{"id":95564091,"identity":"4d10f88a-cb75-4a4f-bec6-cfe7586c39ca","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-10 16:07:41","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":4454486,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/637e96a5-ab85-456d-9264-158dbeadf4a6.pdf"},{"id":85569616,"identity":"bf220333-4270-49fd-8c65-03e84e5f358e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:46:19","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":23525403,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryInformation.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/32420248beadb3962a912f0d.docx"},{"id":85569301,"identity":"1cfa6e3c-cad9-4ea6-b55e-3eb66b94ef30","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:38:18","extension":"mp4","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":6286593,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MovieS1.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/428293b296bb73b5bfa9c07f.mp4"},{"id":85568952,"identity":"763c6a05-0a5d-4a1d-b9f8-928ebeece4c8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:30:18","extension":"mp4","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":4631630,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MovieS2.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/77bae7bc739b392a8d5c7abc.mp4"},{"id":85569310,"identity":"ebb90c0b-1357-499a-bd09-351e2ab54150","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:38:19","extension":"mp4","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":4968833,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MovieS3.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/15cfc88c0e6de2d4ff3f696c.mp4"},{"id":85568954,"identity":"dea9edea-048c-457a-94b2-e8495553d5df","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-27 15:30:18","extension":"mp4","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":3237850,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MovieS4.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6877520/v1/523748b4b01c04b687e4d663.mp4"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Fiber-Reinforced Origami Electronics with High Rigidity and Flexibility for Display Applications","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eOrigami structures, which are capable of forming various three-dimensional (3D) structures via simple folding of a two-dimensional (2D) plane, offer an approach for diversifying the forms of electromechanical systems\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR2 CR3 CR4\" citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. These 3D structures are determined by the design and arrangement of flexure hinges or crease-type hinges, which are flexible under external forces\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. This strategy allows the realization of physical expandability and a more pronounced volumetric effect, in contrast to the limitations of 2D structures. For example, depending on the pattern, the dense arrangement of hinges enables compression and expansion by several hundred times for the Flasher pattern or the construction of a 3D shape for the Kresling pattern\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR9 CR10\" citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. When integrated with electronic components, such origami structures can have potential applications in various fields, including biomedical applications requiring spatial efficiency, soft robots engineered for locomotion without complex structures, and electronic devices designed to transform into 3D configurations\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR13 CR14 CR15 CR16 CR17\" citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn origami-based electromechanical systems, the hinge is thin to minimize the bending stress applied to the embedded electrode during folding, thus preventing electronic malfunction and mechanical damage. Flexible electronics with a low stiffness can serve as the hinge in origami electronics through adaptation of the bending stress\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. These electronics are typically composed of a conductive layer, such as a metal film or nanowires, deposited on a soft or thin substrate, which ensures high durability against folding\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR21 CR22 CR23\" citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Nevertheless, such flexibility and softness of the electrode make it vulnerable to tensile forces, which can stretch or tear it. This vulnerability caused by a low stiffness may limit the stability of the hinge in origami electronics during repeated tension in deployment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFiber reinforcement is a method that preserves the inherent outstanding properties of a material while compensating for its relatively weak characteristics\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. This approach can serve as an effective strategy for ensuring durability against both folding and tension, which is an essential requirement for origami-based electronics. For example, nylon, which is a type of fiber, possesses high tensile resistance due to its robust and resilient characteristics, which enable it to resist strong pulling forces and, upon elongation, absorb excess stress.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHere, we present origami electronics based on a fiber-reinforced electronic flexure hinge that can endure folding and pulling during repeated deployment. To achieve the conflicting material properties, the flexure hinge consists of an electronic composite based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with tough nylon embedded. Before integrating this flexure hinge into an origami structure, we optimized the thickness and spacing of the rigid links of the origami to be connected by the flexure hinge, which reduced the stress on the flexure hinge during out-folding. The origami electronics integrated with the flexure hinge maintained their conductivity after repeated in-folding and out-folding cycles because PEDOT:PSS coated on flexible PDMS. Additionally, the embedded nylon absorbed the tensile forces generated during deployment, preventing the origami electronics from stretching, as confirmed by finite element analysis (FEA) simulations and cyclic tensile tests. This origami electronic structure highly durable against external forces was integrated with a touch panel and a light-emitting diode (LED), demonstrating its potential for display applications. Furthermore, application of this strategy to dense origami patterns with angular designs (e.g., Flasher and Kresling patterns) demonstrated that the origami electronics reliably operate without mechanical or electrical malfunction during complex geometric transformations.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eOverview of origami electronics based on a fiber-reinforced flexure hinge\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe schematic illustration in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eA shows the origami electronics integrating a fiber-reinforced electronic composite designed to withstand bending and tensile stress during folding and deployment. The polymer electrode layer in the composite is composed of PEDOT:PSS, which consists of hole-transporting PEDOT and dispersed network-forming PSS\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. PEDOT chains form linear interconnected pathways anchored to the PSS matrix, enabling stable electrical conduction under repeated bending deformation\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Additionally, the nylon fibers embedded in the composite as fiber reinforcement prevent irreversible stretching and tearing while maintaining the current flow during deployment accompanied by pulling. This highly durable composite is integrated with rigid links to form the origami electronics, enabling folding and deployment according to the designed origami pattern (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eB). The exposed electronic composite between the rigid links acts as a flexure hinge within the origami electronics. The folding stress in the folding origami electronics can become concentrated on the flexure hinge, with mechanical and electrical damage. However, the flexure hinge of PEDOT:PSS, sandwiched by a thin encapsulation layer (polyurethane) and a substrate (PDMS), allows the origami electronics to maintain LED operation without electrical failure, thus exhibiting a higher foldability than that of other flexible electrodes, including Ag nanowires and thin Au films (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eC). This thin flexure hinge may seem vulnerable to pulling during deployment of the origami electronics, but the relatively high toughness of nylon can prevent tearing of the hinge by absorbing strain energy (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eD). Such origami electronics with a high resistance to folding and pulling allow various applications that utilize mechanical shape transformation. For example, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eE, the dense arrangement and angular design of the hinges enable the electronics to be expandable and portable. High compression of Flasher pattern-based origami electronics can expose numerous hinges to stress but does not induce resistance changes associated with mechanical or electrical damage. Another hinge pattern design for the origami electronics involves a structure that transforms between 2D and 3D configurations (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eF). Kresling-pattern-based origami electronics can be utilized for wearable electronics, offering storage efficiency in an easily foldable state and enabling touch-based machine‒human interactions with users when deployed. During such repeated shape transformation and tactile input, the origami electronics do not exhibit electronic malfunction. The detailed fabrication process of the origami electronics is described in the Supplementary Method and Fig. \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOptimization of the folding configuration for origami electronics\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eA shows the layer structure of the fabricated origami electronics based on smart composite microstructures that enable folding through rigid links based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and the fiber-reinforced flexure hinges\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. As shown in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eB, the PET layer (~\u0026thinsp;200 \u0026micro;m) is attached to the fiber-reinforced electronic composite based on PEDOT:PSS (~\u0026thinsp;400 nm) encapsulated in polyurethane (~\u0026thinsp;20 \u0026micro;m) and PDMS (~\u0026thinsp;150 \u0026micro;m) using an optically clear adhesive (OCA) (~\u0026thinsp;50 \u0026micro;m) to form origami electronics. The relatively high thickness and stiffness (Young\u0026rsquo;s modulus: 2.8\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;3.1 GPa)\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e of the PET layer can prevent bending during folding of the origami electronics (Fig. \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS2\u003c/span\u003e). Additionally, the elastic PEDOT:PSS embedded in the electronic composite, which serves as the electronic component of the origami electronics, offers mechanical durability against repeated folding. Here, laser etching of PET exposes the electronic composite to form a flexure hinge for folding of the origami electronics. This folding consists of mountain folding (Out-folding) and valley folding (In-folding) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eC). Compared with valley folding, mountain folding toward a rigid link can induce greater strain because of potential collisions between rigid links. Such collisions may lead to electrode disconnection accompanied by stretching of the flexure hinge. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eD shows the optimal gap distance between rigid links to prevent excessive strain on the flexure hinge during mountain folding. Narrow gaps (200, 400, and 600 \u0026micro;m) lead to electrode disconnection during folding, whereas a relatively wide gap (800 \u0026micro;m) prevents excessive strain. The folding stability with the optimized gap is further demonstrated by cycling tests under mountain folding. As shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eE, the origami electronics maintain stable electric resistance over repeated mountain folding (~\u0026thinsp;20,000 cycles) without collisions between rigid links. Additionally, valley folding of the origami electronics does not damage the electrode because of the inherent flexibility of the flexure hinge, despite a relatively narrow gap (~\u0026thinsp;200 \u0026micro;m) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eF).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition to the gap between rigid links, stress concentration occurs at a vertex where multiple flexure hinges meet. This stress concentration becomes even more significant as the pattern of the origami electronics increases in complexity because of the convergence of more flexure hinges at a single vertex. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eG shows the Miura and Waterbomb origami patterns, which incorporate both mountain folding and valley folding motions and a vertex with four and six hinges, respectively. To minimize stress concentration at the vertex, we performed additional laser etching at that location. The optimized gap and removed vertex, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eH and Movie S1, allow the origami electronics to maintain stable electrical resistance after the initial stabilization phase (~\u0026thinsp;50 cycles). Additionally, the results of repeated folding cycle tests (10,000 cycles) of the Miura and Waterbomb origami patterns shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eI, Fig. \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS3\u003c/span\u003e and Fig. \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS4\u003c/span\u003e demonstrate that gap optimization and vertex removal are effective approaches for integrating embedded electronics into repeatedly folded origami structures and are not limited to specific patterns.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTensile optimization and analysis of origami electronics\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA flexure hinge with low rigidity and a small thickness in origami electronics is effective in minimizing folding-induced stress, but its inherent flexibility and softness may lead to stretching or tearing. As a result, it becomes vulnerable to strong pulling forces applied by the user during deployment. The tough nylon embedded in the fabricated origami electronics can prevent irreversible deformation induced by tensile forces (Movie S2). Additionally, dense embedding of the nylon enhances the resistance to tensile forces. The schematic image in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA illustrates the calculation process for determining the nylon embedding ratio within the electronic composite (fiber volume fraction, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{V}_{f}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) on the basis of its density. As shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB and Fig. \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS5\u003c/span\u003e, increasing the amount of nylon fiber in the flexure hinge (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{V}_{f}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e: 0.75%, 1%, 1.5%, and 3%) allows the origami electronics to withstand a fracture force proportional to the fiber content (7.9 N, 11.4 N, 12.5 N, and 22.1 N), indicating enhanced tensile resistance. Additionally, such durability during pulling can guarantee electrical reliability and prevent mechanical fracture. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eC presents the measured resistance of origami electronics corresponding to the \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{V}_{f}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e conditions shown above under tensile loading. When a tensile force is applied to the origami electronics, a relatively high \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{V}_{f}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e (3%) enables the structure to maintain electrical resistance under large tensile loads (up to ~\u0026thinsp;20 N).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo confirm the performance of the optimized origami electronics (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{V}_{f}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e: 3%) for high resistance to pulling, as shown in the schematic sequence in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eD, pulling was simulated via FEA. Nylon can absorb tensile stress during pulling of the origami electronics (Fig. S6). This stress absorption prevents excessive stretching of the flexure hinge with low stiffness by minimizing the stress (~\u0026thinsp;22.2 MPa) transmitted to the hinge. In contrast, the origami electronics without embedded nylon exhibit a high stress concentration (~\u0026thinsp;48.2 MPa) at the flexure hinge (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eE). Such origami electronics demonstrating stress relief in the simulation achieve limitation of the strain to within the elastic deformation range of the hinge, as shown in the strain‒stress curve in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eF. However, application of the same tensile stress to the origami electronics without nylon leads to plastic deformation at the flexure hinge (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eG). The origami electronics can be exposed not only to such tensile forces during deployment but also to tensile impacts as the deployment speed increases, causing damage due to over-deployment accompanied by overstretching. For example, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eH, when the user rapidly deploys the origami electronics (~\u0026thinsp;50 ms), the flexure hinge can undergo irreversible stretching, but the embedded nylon prevents this deformation. Additionally, the embedded electrodes in the origami electronics can be vulnerable to such tensile impacts. As shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eI and Fig. S7, rapid dynamic deployment (applied at ~\u0026thinsp;5 mm/s) of the origami electronics induces an increase in the electrical resistance (~\u0026thinsp;0.6%), in contrast to the structure with nylon reinforcement. Such a slight increase in the electrical resistance may appear negligible, but continuous exposure to such tensile impacts can lead to progressive damage to the electrode, resulting in complete failure of the electronic functionality of the origami electronics. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eJ shows the results of repeated tensile impact tests (~\u0026thinsp;100 cycles) on the origami electronics, comparing structures with and without nylon reinforcement. The origami electronics with nylon embedded maintain electrical stability by absorbing the tensile impacts during repeated deployment, whereas the accumulated tensile impacts on the origami electronics without nylon reinforcement cause electrical failure, accompanied by a change in resistance (~\u0026thinsp;23.2%).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIncorporation of display components into origami structures\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fiber-reinforced origami electronics can be utilized for display applications that incorporate both a touch panel and LED components. When the Miura origami pattern is applied to the structure, it enables the realization of a highly space-efficient display (compression ratio: 8.2 times) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eA and Fig. S8)\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The fabricated Miura origami-based electronics integrate a touch panel, which is one of the components of the display system. The touch panel used operates via a surface capacitive mechanism\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, forming a uniform electric field across the embedded PEDOT:PSS electrode layer. When an object contacts the surface, the origami electronics perceive the touch by detecting a disruption in the electric field. For example, when a user touches the surface of the origami-based touch panel, the disturbance in the electric field induces a current flow from the edge electrodes to the touch point, which enables the exact location of the touch to be determined (Fig. S10A). A touch adjacent to the electrode (A1) connected to the current meter, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eB, induces a relatively high current change (touch point (TP)#1: ~ 37.3%), whereas a touch farther from A1 results in a lower current change (TP#2: ~ 5.1%, TP#3: ~ 2.8%, TP#4: ~ 4.8%). This distance-dependent current variation enables localization of the touch point (Fig. S10B, C, and D). Such distance-dependent identification can remain reliable during folding (30% and 90%) of the origami electronics, which enables stable touch input under dynamic deformation conditions (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eC and Fig. S11). When this folding and deployment deformation is repeated, it may disturb the drawing input on the touch panel because of fatigue degradation of the hinge (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eD). However, the origami electronics designed to withstand folding and pulling continue to detect writing on the touch panel after multiple folding (~\u0026thinsp;100 times) and deployment (100 times) cycles (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eE and F). Further details of the performance evaluation of the touch panel based on the PEDOT:PSS electrode are provided in Supplementary Note 1.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe also integrated LEDs into the origami electronics to provide light emission, which is a fundamental function of a display. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eG shows that the PEDOT:PSS-based patterned circuit passes through the flexure hinge. This patterned electrode, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eH, allows the emission of multiple LEDs (~\u0026thinsp;16 units) to be modulated, enabling the generation of diverse visual patterns. Although a relatively narrow circuit pattern (~\u0026thinsp;3 mm) for selectively controlling each LED can lead to disconnection during folding and pulling, the origami electronics form diverse patterns (letters: M, O, S, T) through controlled LEDs (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eI). The cycling test in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eJ emphasizes the electronic durability of the origami electronics under repeated deformation. When multiple folding and pulling cycles (~\u0026thinsp;100 times) are applied, the origami electronics continue to receive a stable current (~\u0026thinsp;1.65 mA) without circuit damage (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eK). Such maintenance of the electronic functionality under narrow circuit layouts in the origami structure provides the foundation for reconfiguration of electronics into various shapes. Further details of the design of LED circuits based on PEDOT:PSS are provided in Supplementary Note 2 and Fig. S12.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHighly compressible displays and 3D wearable electronics\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe arrangement of flexure hinges defines the deployable configuration of the origami electronics. In this configuration, an increase in the number of hinges and the application of an angle design allow the origami electronics to perform more complex and precise mechanical functions. A high hinge density can cause continuous stress related to folding and pulling in regions with densely packed hinges. However, this challenge can be addressed by the proposed approach based on a fiber-reinforced flexure hinge. For example, Flasher pattern-based origami electronics can offer both portability and expandability (~\u0026thinsp;25 times) to the user through a dense pattern and angle control of the flexure hinge (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eA and Fig. S13)\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Multiple LEDs were embedded in Flasher origami electronics to enable display functionality (Movie S3). Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB shows the compression process of the Flasher origami electronics while the letter \u0026ldquo;O\u0026rdquo; is displayed to verify the stability of the electronic functionality during folding. Upon compression around the central core origami cell, the bending stress may appear to concentrate at the dense hinges, but the LEDs continue to display the letter without a change in the applied current. Such compressed origami electronics experience tensile stress in deployment, but their toughness allows them to maintain output without current changes (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eC). The detailed optimization of the high compression ratio of the Flasher pattern-based origami structure is provided in Supplementary Note 3.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnother example of a complex pattern of the flexure hinges presents a potential application in wearable electronics using 3D shape transformation of the Kresling pattern. A densely repeated Kresling pattern (cylindrical structure) composed of pairs of triangular facets enables the transformation of electronics from a 2D to 3D structure (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eD)\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. This pattern modulates the folding resistance, allowing the cylindrical structure to either be compressed under gentle pressure or maintain its 3D shape under a relatively strong pressing force. For example, the cylindrical structure formed by a triangular pattern with a 25\u0026deg; angle exhibits highly compliant structural behavior (Fig. S14A). In contrast, a relatively large angle of 65\u0026deg; leads to a high-rigidity structure that resists folding under a pressing force (~\u0026thinsp;500 g) (Fig. S14B). These two angles (25\u0026deg; and 65\u0026deg;), when used in triangular patterns as interior angles, provide a bistable structural strategy that allows a cylindrical structure to be selectively tuned for easy foldability and structural robustness. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eE presents the sequential folding and deployment process (100 cycles) of the origami electronics designed with the Kresling patterns with defined angles (25\u0026deg; and 65\u0026deg;). The initial resistance of the embedded electrode is preserved throughout the repetitive deformation process. This electrical stability is also effective in the high-rigidity mode, in which the origami electronics withstand heavy loads, preserving their electrical functionality and shape (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eF). Such Kresling-patterned origami electronics can be utilized as wearable electronics worn on a finger, enabling remote control of a smartphone (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eG). The high compressibility of the wearable electronics allows for portability and storability before they are worn. Once deployed, the wearable electronics can adapt to a finger and stably maintain their structural configuration under the forces applied during touch. As shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eH, sequential deployment and compression of the wearable electronics do not affect their touch-sensing performance. This stability of the electronic function enables the wearable electronics to be used to respond to an incoming call through a sliding touch motion (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eI and Movie S4). A detailed analysis of each state of the bistable 3D cylindrical structure is provided in Supplementary Note 4.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this study, we developed fiber-reinforced origami electronics capable of geometric transformation without fatigue degradation. The main strategy to prevent this degradation relies on a durable flexure hinge integrating a flexible electronic composite and tough nylon. These different mechanical advantages minimize bending and tensile stresses on the flexure hinge, respectively, during the repeated shape transformation of origami electronics. Such stability against repeated stresses realizes the potential for deployable displays through the availability of numerous flexure hinge arrangements and angular configurations. The large-range compression\u0026ndash;expansion and 2D-to-3D transformation of the origami electronics demonstrate the potential of the origami electronics for various display applications based on shape reconfiguration. The current application for this strategy focuses on shape-reconfigurable displays, but when an actuator (e.g., a thin polymer-based actuator)\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR39\" citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e is integrated into the flexure hinge layer, its use could be extended to robotic applications that incorporate both actuation and sensing functionalities.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFEA of the neutral plane of and strain on the electrode when bending the electronic composite.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3D FEA simulations for determining the tensile stress distribution in the flexure hinges were constructed using ABAQUS software. The elements of the flexure hinges, composed of rigid links and the electronic composite, were implemented as C3D8R (8-node linear brick, reduced integration, hourglass control). Both the fiber-reinforced and nonreinforced flexure hinges were expected to be linear elastic materials. The Young\u0026rsquo;s modulus and Poisson\u0026rsquo;s ratio of these flexure hinges were as follows: \u0026nbsp; = 5.075 GPa, \u0026nbsp; = 0.3, = 4.5 GPa, \u0026nbsp; = 0.33, = 1.4 MPa, \u0026nbsp; = 0.48, = 1.2 GPa, and \u0026nbsp; = 0.33.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFolding cycle tests of the origami electronics\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRepeated folding experiments of the origami electronics were conducted using a linear actuator (LSM6-NK235630 Linear Motor, Motorbank, South Korea). Acrylic folding supports were mounted on the two ends of the actuator to serve as fixtures for the folding process. The test specimen was secured between the supports using adhesive tape, and repeated folding motions were induced by driving the linear actuator. The displacement and speed of the actuator were precisely controlled using a control board (Arduino Mega 2560, Arduino, Italy) in combination with a DC‒DC buck converter module (LM2596, generic, China) and Arduino IDE software. A total of 10,000 to 20,000 folding cycles were performed. During the experiment, the electrical characteristics of the specimen, such as the changes in its resistance, were monitored in real time using a data acquisition (DAQ) system (DEWEsoft).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePulling cycle test of the origami electronics in deployment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo investigate electrode failure caused by tensile stress on the flexure hinge during unfolding of origami electronics, tensile tests were conducted. First, to observe the stretching behavior of the flexure hinge, the two ends of the origami electronics were held, and the structure was unfolded at a speed of 200 mm/s. The unfolding process was recorded using a high-speed digital camera (Phantom MIRO EX4 and MIRO C320, Vision Research, USA) operating at 1000 frames per second to accurately capture the unfolding time. To evaluate the electrical performance of the origami electronics under rapid and repeated unfolding conditions, cyclic tensile tests were performed using a universal testing machine (3342 UTM, Instron Co., Norwood, MA, USA) at a speed of 5 mm/s for 100 cycles. During the tests, the electrical signal between the two electrodes of the origami electronics was continuously monitored in real time using a DAQ system (DEWEsoft).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eS.H. acknowledges financial support from the Ajou University research fund. This work is supported by funding from the NRF of Korea (grant nos. RS-2023-00277110, RS-2023-00271830, RS-2024-00403639, RS-2024-00466111, and RS-2024-00411660).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eD.G., M.K., and S.H. contributed equally to this work. D.G. performed the design and engineering investigation of the origami structure. M.K. contributed to the design and experiments of origami electronics with integrated micro-LED circuits. S.H. contributed to the design and experiments of 3D touch panels based on origami structures. J.J. and I.H. manufactured the electronic composite. Y.R. and S.H. supervised the project.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the authors declare that they have no financial or nonfinancial competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRus, D. \u0026amp; Tolley, M. T. 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F. \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e Reversible actuation for self-folding modular machines using liquid crystal elastomer. \u003cem\u003eSmart Materials and Structures\u003c/em\u003e 29, 105003, doi:\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1088/1361-665X/ab9fd6\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1088/1361-665X/ab9fd6\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e (2020).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRoh, Y. \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e Vital signal sensing and manipulation of a microscale organ with a multifunctional soft gripper. \u003cem\u003eScience Robotics\u003c/em\u003e 6, eabi6774 (2021).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"npj-flexible-electronics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"npjflexelectron","sideBox":"Learn more about [npj Flexible Electronics](http://www.nature.com/npjflexelectron/)","snPcode":"41528","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41528/3","title":"npj Flexible Electronics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"NPJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6877520/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6877520/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eOrigami structures provide functional advantages to rigid electronics through geometric transformations. However, the transformations involved in folding and deployment cause stress concentration on the flexure hinges of the origami structure, potentially resulting in electronic malfunction. Here, we report origami electronics based on a fiber-reinforced electronic composite. A thin and soft electronic composite based on a PEDOT:PSS electrode minimizes the stress during folding without causing electrode damage. Nylon is embedded in this foldable composite and, despite being thin and flexible enough for folding, provides high tensile resistance to prevent plastic deformation and tearing under tension. This strategy enables the creation of flexure hinges for origami electronics that maintain mechanical and electrical stability under repeated folding and deployment. Origami electronics that integrate the high-durability composite can be used in display applications that support 25-fold compression with the Flasher origami structure and 2D-to-3D deployment with the Kresling origami structure. The ability of origami electronics to withstand bending and tensile stress facilitates the realization of shape-reconfiguring displays that require repeated reconfiguration across multiple flexure hinges.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Fiber-Reinforced Origami Electronics with High Rigidity and Flexibility for Display Applications","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-27 15:30:13","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6877520/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-07-20T23:01:51+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-19T01:47:28+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-14T06:51:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-10T10:44:23+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"2778730310614521490018795574580087308","date":"2025-06-30T05:14:09+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"147263466450887724204868583516196060275","date":"2025-06-28T16:45:59+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"272526333771668607366256337140037875334","date":"2025-06-26T05:07:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-25T03:07:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-22T03:18:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-06-16T08:18:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"npj Flexible Electronics","date":"2025-06-12T07:09:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"npj-flexible-electronics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"npjflexelectron","sideBox":"Learn more about [npj Flexible Electronics](http://www.nature.com/npjflexelectron/)","snPcode":"41528","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41528/3","title":"npj Flexible Electronics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"NPJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5ea19aa7-6cb8-42a5-add4-22ef2ea0a438","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 27th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":50613118,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for devices"},{"id":50613119,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Structural materials/Mechanical properties"},{"id":50613120,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-10T16:03:35+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6877520","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00485-6","journal":{"identity":"npj-flexible-electronics","isVorOnly":false,"title":"npj Flexible Electronics"},"publishedOn":"2025-11-03 15:58:08","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 3rd, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-27 15:30:13","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41528-025-00485-6","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00485-6","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6877520","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6877520","identity":"rs-6877520","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}