Solving such stress distribution systems for example flexible electrical device embodiments of the disclosure revealed that for certain embodiments of the flexible electrical device, the mechanical neutral plane can be shifted substantially away from the location of the electrode layer. In particular certain combinations of the softening polymer layer and the polymer cover layer, e.g., having substantially different thicknesses and/or stiffness, can result in a large shift in the mechanical neutral plane away from the surface of the softening polymer layer, e.g., where an electrode layer could be located on.

As an example, consider a flexible electrical device comprising an about 1 micron thick polymer cover layer composed of the more rigid polymer parylene and an 25 micron thick of a less rigid softening polymer layer composed of a shape memory polymer, referred to herein as SMP6, formed from the polymerization of a stoichiometric combination of the monomers TMICN and TATATO and 31 mol % TCMDA. The mechanical neutral plane of such a device is predicted to be several microns away from the surface of the softening polymer layer. We expect that an electrode layer formed on the softening polymer layer of such a device would be more prone to delamination than desired, e.g., when the device is bent.