Customized surface adhesive and wettability properties of conformal electronic devices

Abstract

Conformal and body-adaptive electronics have revolutionized the way we interact with technology, ushering in a new era of wearable devices that can seamlessly integrate with our daily lives. However, the inherent mismatch between artificially synthesized materials and biological tissues (caused by irregular skin fold, skin hair, sweat, and skin grease) needs to be addressed, which can be realized using body-adaptive electronics by rational design of their surface adhesive and wettability properties. Over the past few decades, various approaches have been developed to enhance the conformability and adaptability of bioelectronics by (i) increasing flexibility and reducing device thickness, (ii) improving the adhesion and wettability between bioelectronics and biological interfaces, and (iii) refining the integration process with biological systems. Successful development of a conformal and body-adaptive electronic device requires comprehensive consideration of all three aspects. This review starts with the design strategies of conformal electronics with different surface adhesive and wettability properties. A series of conformal and body-adaptive electronics used in the human body under both dry and wet conditions are systematically discussed. Finally, the current challenges and critical perspectives are summarized, focusing on promising directions such as telemedicine, mobile health, point-of-care diagnostics, and human–machine interface applications.