Multiscale porous elastomer substrates for multifunctional on-skin electronics with passive-cooling capabilities

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• On-skin electronics require advanced features beyond mechanical compliance, such as biodegradability, self-healing, and breathability.
• Passive-cooling capabilities for on-skin electronics are underdeveloped, limiting energy efficiency and user comfort.
• Existing research on multifunctional on-skin electronics often overlooks passive cooling strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel multifunctional on-skin electronics with passive-cooling properties.
• To investigate the potential of multiscale porous substrates for thermal management in wearable devices.
• To demonstrate the integration of sensing and stimulation functionalities with passive cooling.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of on-skin electronics using multiscale porous polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS) substrates.
• Spray printing of silver nanowires onto SEBS substrates to create various bioelectronic devices.
• Characterization of the porous structure, thermal properties, and electrical performance of the developed devices.
• Evaluation of passive cooling effects under simulated solar intensity.

Main Results:

• The multiscale porous SEBS substrates provided effective passive cooling, reducing body temperature by approximately 6 °C under high solar intensity (840 W⋅m⁻²).
• The developed on-skin electronics exhibited high breathability and waterproofing, alongside comparable electrical performance to conventional devices.
• Proof-of-concept devices, including electrophysiological, temperature, hydration, and pressure sensors, were successfully fabricated and demonstrated.
• Applications in cuffless blood pressure measurement, virtual reality, and human-machine interfaces were showcased.

Conclusions:

• Multifunctional on-skin electronics with passive-cooling capabilities can be achieved using multiscale porous SEBS substrates.
• These devices offer a unique combination of thermal management, breathability, waterproofing, and electronic functionality.
• The developed technology holds promise for future smart textiles, reducing electronic waste and manufacturing costs through recyclability.