Issue 2, 2020

An ambient-stable and stretchable ionic skin with multimodal sensation

Abstract

Skin serves as a physical and hygroscopic barrier to protect the inner body, and also contains sensory receptors to perceive environmental and mechanical stimuli. To recapitulate these salient features, hydrogel-based artificial skins have been developed. However, existing designs are constrained by limited functionality, low stability, and requirement of external power. Herein, a novel artificial ionic skin (AIskin) – an analog of the diode based on controlled ion mobility – is demonstrated with high toughness, stretchability, ambient stability and transparency. The AIskin consists of a bilayer of oppositely-charged, double-network hydrogel, and converts mechanical stimuli and humidity into signals of resistance, capacitance, open-circuit voltage (OCV), and short-circuit current (SCC), among which the OCV- and SCC-based sensing signals are self-generated. Its multimodal sensation is maintained in a wide range of relative humidities (13–85%). It is demonstrated for wearable strain-humidity sensing, human–machine interaction and walking energy harvesting. This work will open new avenues toward next-generation, skin-inspired wearable electronics.

Graphical abstract: An ambient-stable and stretchable ionic skin with multimodal sensation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
09 Mey 2019
Accepted
08 Okt 2019
First published
11 Okt 2019

Mater. Horiz., 2020,7, 477-488

An ambient-stable and stretchable ionic skin with multimodal sensation

B. Ying, Q. Wu, J. Li and X. Liu, Mater. Horiz., 2020, 7, 477 DOI: 10.1039/C9MH00715F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements