Hard-Soft Multilayer Film for Flexible Curved Electronics
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective films lack flexibility over a wide temperature range and fail to provide adequate impact resistance and optical properties, especially when applied to flexible electronic devices and curved surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer film comprising a first layer with a Shore D hardness of 60 or greater and a flexural modulus of 1300 MPa or less, combined with a second layer having a Shore D hardness greater than the first and a storage modulus that is lower, providing improved impact resistance and flexibility across varying temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a protective film is made with high hardness to provide surface protection, then scratch resistance is improved, but flexibility and impact resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The protective film is divided into multiple layers with different functions: a first layer providing flexibility and impact resistance, and a second layer providing surface hardness and scratch resistance. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its specific function without compromising the overall performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material structure combining different polymer resins with complementary properties. The first layer uses a polymer with high flexibility and low glass transition temperature, while the second layer uses a polymer with high hardness and scratch resistance, creating a composite film that exhibits both flexibility and surface protection.
2Strength
If a protective film is made rigid to provide impact resistance, then strength is improved, but flexibility and adaptability to curved surfaces deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The film is segmented into functional layers where the first layer provides flexibility and the second layer provides impact resistance through its hardness. The layered structure allows the flexible first layer to accommodate curved surfaces while the harder second layer provides the necessary impact resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the film have different properties: the first layer has low glass transition temperature and high flexibility, while the second layer has high hardness and scratch resistance. This local quality differentiation allows the film to simultaneously achieve flexibility for curved surfaces and strength for impact resistance.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single-layer film is used to simplify structure, then manufacturing is easier, but it cannot simultaneously achieve both flexibility and surface protection
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using a single-layer structure, the invention segments the film into multiple layers, each with specific functions. This segmentation enables the film to simultaneously achieve flexibility, impact resistance, and surface protection, improving overall reliability despite increased structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs composite material structure combining different polymer resins in specific layers. This composite approach allows the film to exhibit multiple desirable properties (flexibility, hardness, scratch resistance) that cannot be achieved with a single material, ensuring consistent performance across different application conditions.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a protective film is made soft to provide flexibility, then adaptability to curved surfaces is improved, but surface protection and scratch resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The film is segmented into a first layer with soft, flexible properties and a second layer with hard, scratch-resistant properties. The flexible first layer can conform to curved surfaces while the hard second layer provides the necessary scratch resistance, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and surface protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure combines a flexible polymer resin in the first layer with a harder polymer resin in the second layer. This material combination allows the film to exhibit both flexibility for curved surface adaptation and scratch resistance for surface protection, achieving properties that neither material could provide alone.
Data Source
AI summary
The multilayer film according to an embodiment is of high applicability as a protective film and comprises: a first layer having one surface and other surface; and a second layer disposed on one surface of the first layer. The Shore D hardness measured on the surface of the second layer is 60 or higher, and the flexural modulus is 1300 MPa or lower. The multilayer film according to an embodiment is easily elongated on curved or bent surfaces, has excellent workability, superior impact absorption functionality, and excellent surface durability.