Highly Transparent, Self-Healable, and Adhesive Organogels for Bio-Inspired Intelligent Ionic Skins

Development of intelligent adaptable materials with unprecedented sensitivity that can mimic the tactile sensing functions of natural skin is a major driving force in the realization of artificial intelligence. Herein, we judiciously designed and synthesized a series of lauryl acrylate-based polymeric organogels with high transparency, mechanical adaptability, self-healing properties, and adhesive capability. Moreover, a robust capacitive sensor with high sensitivity (0.293 kPa^-1) was developed by sandwiching the prepared soft, adaptable organogels between two tough conductive hydrogels and then used to monitor various human motions such as finger stretching, wrist bending, and throat movement during chewing. Interestingly, the resulting capacitive sensor could also function as prosthetic skin on a pneumatic soft artificial hand, enabling intelligent haptic perception. The research disclosed herein is expected to provide insights into the rational design of artificial human-like skins with unprecedented functionalities.