A highly stretchable, breathable and thermoregulatory electronic skin based on the polyolefin elastomer nanofiber membrane

Abstract: Electronic skins have attracted increasingattentions due to their potential applications in skin prosthetics, humanoidrobotics and wearable health monitoring. Along with the development of E-skin,safety, health and comfort have become essential elements that may affect thepractical applications. In this study, a highly stretchable, hydrophobicpolyolefin elastomer (POE) nanofiber membrane (NM) was prepared. The threedimensional porous structure of POE NM endows it good breathability, allowingthe air and water vapor to permeate through it. Moreover, the POE NM istransparent to IR radiation, as a result the body heat could be dissipatedthrough it, realizing the thermoregulatory property. The good breathability andthermoregulation of E-skin will help to create a safe, healthy and comfortablemicroenvironment for people by preventing overheat, stuffiness andinflammation. Then, a real functional and biomimetic strain sensor based onAg@POE NM was prepared to monitor the human physiology and movement. The lowdetection limit (0.05%), fast response time (10 ms) andsuperior sensitivity (3953, 30%) indicate the potentially promisingapplications of POE NM based E-skin as wearable electronics. It is the firsttime that the concept of thermoregulation is introduced into the E-skin,pointing out a new direction for the development of wearable electronicdevices.

Li Mufang, et al. A highly stretchable, breathable and thermoregulatory electronic skin based on the polyolefin elastomer nanofiber membrane. Applied Surface Science, 2019, 486, 249-256.