Self-compliant ionic nanomesh for gas-permeable and stress-free on-skin electronics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Self-adaptive compliance and gas permeability are vital for on-skin electronics to capture high-fidelity electrophysiological signals.
• Integrating these properties, especially under dynamic skin deformation, presents a significant challenge for current wearable devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an ultrathin, self-compliant, and breathable bioelectronic interface for reliable electrophysiological signal acquisition.
• To address the trade-off between mechanical compliance and breathability in wearable electronics.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an ultrathin liquid crystal elastomer-based sheath-core ionic nanomesh.
• Utilizing a hydrophilic sheath and porous architecture for enhanced permeability.
• Leveraging liquid crystal director deformation for stress-free skin-device junctions.

Main Results:

• The nanomesh demonstrated high moisture and air permeability, ensuring wearable comfort.
• Achieved fatigue-resistant adhesion and nearly stress-free skin-device junctions.
• Successfully acquired muscle-specific electromyography signals with minimized motion artifacts.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanomesh resolves the conflict between self-compliance and permeability in wearable electronics.
• Establishes a new paradigm for long-term, reliable bioelectronic interfaces for personal healthcare and robotic control.