Stretchable zipper

The smart wearable system composed of stretchable electronics and bodysuits is the focus in healthcare and human-machine interaction. Despite advances in stretchable electronics, the stretchability mismatch persists between zippers and stretchable fabrics, which are key components of bodysuits, affecting the system’s functions, comfort, and aesthetic. The key challenge is the contradiction between the requirement for closely-arranged teeth of traditional zippers and the demand for stretchability of stretchable zippers. Here, we report a bio-inspired stretchable zipper, which achieves interlocking through interlaced-spatulate teeth, suppresses separation perpendicular to interlocking surfaces via suture-joint, and prevents excessive inter-tooth distance by hook-furrow structure. The novel slider provides teeth rotation space during interlocking processes through the reciprocation of movable abdication blocks. The stretchable zipper can maintain interlocking and effortless zipping/unzipping over a wide range of strain and strain differences (0%-25% respectively). In applications for hemiplegia rehabilitation wearable systems and wound closure, stretchable zippers show advantages in enhancing the conformability, paving the way for smart wearable systems.