Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 12, 2026

Fabrication and Characterization of a Conformal Skin-like Electronic System for Quantitative, Cutaneous Wound Management
Published on: September 2, 2015
A unified mechano-ionic skin for resolving native electromechanical coupling
Biao Ma1, Heng Zhan2, Haoran Deng1
1State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Abstract:
The beat-to-beat electromechanical coupling between cardiac excitation and arterial pulse propagation encodes vital cardiovascular insights, but resolving this coherence in wearables is hindered by the spatial decoupling of sensors and attenuated epidermal signals. Here, we report a unified mechano-ionic skin that preserves this coherence through conducting biopotentials and efficiently transducing arterial pressures along a single ion-conducting pathway. By synergizing molecular cation tethering with microscale stress concentration, our design breaks the symmetry of ion dynamics. This yields a giant piezoionic sensitivity of 1071 mV kPa-1, exceeding state-of-the-art ionic conductors by over two orders of magnitude. This response resolves pulse waves and electrocardiograms simultaneously, eliminating cross-sensor synchronization errors. Implemented in a wristband, the interface enables beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring and repeatedly tracks cardiovascular functions under daily resting conditions, demonstrating multimodal sensory fusion can be engineered as an intrinsic property of soft matter by precisely regulating ion dynamics.
Related Concept Videos
Electro-mechanical Systems
A key component of the DC motor is the armature, a rotating circuit positioned within a magnetic field. As an electric current passes through the...
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Design Example: Resistive Touchscreen
When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact at a specific point known as the touchpoint. This contact reduces the resistance between...
Sensory Functions of the Skin
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...