A biomimetic laminated strategy enabled strain-interference free and durable flexible thermistor electronics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Flexible thermistor epidermal electronics (FTEE) face challenges in achieving high temperature resolution without strain-induced signal distortion.
• Existing technologies struggle to decouple temperature and strain signals effectively in dynamic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a versatile MXene-based thermistor elastomer sensor (TES) platform that alleviates strain interference.
• To achieve superior thermosensitivity and temperature resolution in flexible electronics.
• To demonstrate a biomimetic strategy for strain-tolerant temperature sensing.

Main Methods:

• Biomimetic laminated strategy inspired by nacre microstructure.
• In-plane stress dissipation and nacre-mimetic hierarchical architecture design.
• Theoretical model simulation, microstructure observation, and superposed signal detection.

Main Results:

• The MXene-based TES platform exhibits superior thermosensitivity (-1.32% °C⁻¹).
• Achieved outstanding temperature resolution of approximately 0.3 °C.
• Demonstrated unparalleled mechanical durability with 20,000 folding fatigue cycles.
• Showcased improved strain-tolerant thermosensation compared to commercial thermocouples during exercise.

Conclusions:

• The nacre-mimetic strategy effectively decouples temperature and strain signals.
• The developed TES platform offers generality and customizability for FTEE fabrication.
• This approach provides significant insights for static and dynamic temperature detection using flexible electronics.