In this work, the authors report materials, fabrication strategies, and applications of biodegradable microsupercapacitors (MSCs) built using water‐soluble (i.e., physically transient) metal (W, Fe, and Mo) electrodes, a biopolymer, hydrogel electrolyte (agarose gel), and a biodegradable poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) substrate, encapsulated with polyanhydride. During repetitive charge/discharge cycles, the electrochemical performance of these unusual MSCs is dramatically enhanced, following from the role of pseudocapacitance that originates from metal‐oxide coatings generated by electrochemical corrosion at the interface between the water‐soluble metal electrode and the hydrogel electrolyte. Systematic studies reveal the dissolution kinetics/behaviors of each individual component of the MSCs, as well as those of the integrated devices. An encapsulation strategy that involves control over the thickness, chemistry, and molecular weight of the constituent materials provides a versatile means to engineer desired functional lifetimes. Demonstration experiments illustrate potential applications of these biodegradable MSCs as transient sources of power in the operation of light‐emitting diodes and as charging capacitors in integrated circuits for wireless power harvesting.

This paper introduces a liquid-metal integrated system that combines soft electronics materials and engineering designs with advanced near-field-communication (NFC) functionality for human motion sensing. All of the active components, that is, strain sensor, antenna and interconnections, in this device are made of liquid metal, and the device has unique gel-like characteristics and stretchability. Patterning procedures based on selective wetting properties of the reduced GaInSn enable a skin-attachable, miniaturized layout, in which the diameter of the device is less than 2 cm. Electromechanical characterization of the strain sensor and antenna reveals their behaviors under large uniaxial tensile and compressive strains, as well as more complex modes of deformation. Demonstrations of these devices involve their use in monitoring various human motions in a purely wireless fashion; examples include wrist flexion, movements of the vocal cord and finger motion. This simple platform has potential for use in human-machine interfaces for prosthetic control and other applications. NPG Asia Materials (2017) 9, e443; doi:10.1038/am.2017.189; published online 27 October 2017 INTRODUCTION Skin-mounted, deformable devices capable of sensing various signals such as strain, pressure and temperature can be used in a variety of applications ranging from health monitoring systems and personal diagnostics to human-machine interfaces. 1 Advanced concepts in stretchable materials and mechanics principles form the basis for devices that can gently laminate onto the soft and curvilinear surfaces of human skin or conformally wrap onto internal organs of the body. 2-5 Gallium-based liquid metals are highly suitable candidates for such applications due to their unlimited deformability while maintaining excellent metallic conductivity. The use of gallium-based liquid-metal alloys confined in elastomeric enclosures provides intrinsically stretchable properties that maintain bulk electrical conductivity with high stretchability. 6 Additionally, unlike mercury, gallium is safe to use in ambient environment due to its low vapor pressure. 7,8 By taking full advantage of the deformability and nontoxicity of the liquid metal, many research groups have utilized liquid metal for wearable

As part of increased efforts to develop wearable healthcare devices for monitoring and managing physiological and metabolic information, stretchable electrochemical sweat sensors have been investigated. In this study, we report on the fabrication of a stretchable and skin-attachable electrochemical sensor for detecting glucose and pH in sweat. A patterned stretchable electrode was fabricated via layer-by-layer deposition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on top of patterned Au nanosheets (AuNS) prepared by filtration onto stretchable substrate. For the detection of glucose and pH, CoWO/CNT and polyaniline/CNT nanocomposites were coated onto the CNT-AuNS electrodes, respectively. A reference electrode was prepared via chlorination of silver nanowires. Encapsulation of the stretchable sensor with sticky silbione led to a skin-attachable sweat sensor. Our sensor showed high performance with sensitivities of 10.89 μA mM cm and 71.44 mV pH for glucose and pH, respectively, with mechanical stability up to 30% stretching and air stability for 10 days. The sensor also showed good adhesion even to wet skin, allowing the detection of glucose and pH in sweat from running while being attached onto the skin. This work suggests the application of our stretchable and skin-attachable electrochemical sensor to health management as a high-performance healthcare wearable device.

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