Amphibious Breathable Ionic Skin Enabled by Dynamically Interlocked Star-Shaped Ionic Liquid Telomers

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Bioelectronics
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Epidermal ionic skins are crucial for bioelectronics but face challenges in maintaining key properties like softness, breathability, adhesion, and conductivity in diverse environments.
• Existing ionic gels often struggle with stability and performance in both dry and aquatic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer an amphibious ionic skin with enhanced environmental adaptability.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional ionic skins in maintaining performance across dry and aquatic settings.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a hydrophobic star-shaped ionic liquid telomer within an amphiphilic linear poly(ionic liquid) network.
• Utilizing dynamically interlocked viscous telomers for self-adhesion and compliance.
• Designing amphiphilic networks with water-permeable channels for breathability.

Main Results:

• The engineered ionic skin demonstrates robust water-resistant self-adhesion and self-compliance.
• Achieved superior moisture breathability in ambient conditions due to the network structure.
• Exhibited high underwater stability, preventing leaching of bulky telomeric species.
• Enabled high-fidelity electrophysiological signal acquisition in both dry and submerged states.

Conclusions:

• The topological network design offers a novel strategy for developing environment-adaptive skin-like iontronic devices.
• The amphibious ionic skin provides a versatile platform for advanced bioelectronic applications.