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On-skin electronic systems represent a burgeoning technology that develops wearable devices capable of adapting to the dynamic surfaces of the human body. Present film-based electronics are constrained to single-layered constructions on impermeable substrates that severely inhibit their wearing comfort and multi-functionality. Herein, a thermal-wet comfortable and antibacterial epidermal electrode is hierarchically designed on an ultra-stretchable metafabric. Via the layer-by-layer assembly of trilayered elastomeric fibers with multi-scale sizes and varied compositions, porosity and wettability asymmetries are established across the nonwoven fabric, rendering it with unidirectional liquid conduction and sweat self-pumping performance. The successful printing of stretchable liquid-metal (EGaIn) circuits on ZnO NPs anchored microfibers simultaneously equips the trilayered metafabric with robust antibacterial capability, low-watt heating ability, and high-fidelity detectability for surface electromyography signals of various physical activities. Moreover, the incorporation of thermochromic microcapsules in the outmost fibers also enables the fabric Joule heater with visual indicating ability via reversible color-switching. Thus, this hierarchically engineered epidermal electrode with thermal-wet comfort and antibacterial ability holds great promise in daily applicable healthcare and sports monitoring electronics.

Stretchable electronics have attracted surging attention for next-generation smart wearables, yet traditional flexible devices fabricated on hermetical elastic substrates cannot satisfy lengthy wearing comfort and signal stability due to their poor moisture and air permeability. Herein, perspiration-wicking and luminescent on-skin electrodes are fabricated on superelastic nonwoven textiles with a Janus configuration. Through the electrospin-assisted face-to-face assembly of all-SEBS microfibers with differentiated diameters and composition, porosity and wettability asymmetry are constructed across the textile, endowing it with antigravity water transport capability for continuous sweat release. Also, the phosphor particles evenly encapsulated in the elastic fibers empower the Janus textile with stable light-emitting capability under extreme stretching in a dark environment. Additionally, the precise printing of highly conductive liquid metal (LM) circuits onto the matrix not only equips the electronic textile with broad detectability for various biophysical and electrophysiological signals but also enables successful implementation of human–machine interface (HMIs) to control a mechanical claw.

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