Lantern‐Inspired On‐Skin Helical Interconnects for Epidermal Electronic Sensors

Abstract

Epidermal electronics have been attracting considerable attention due to their various potential applications in human‐computer interaction and health monitoring. However, because of the lack of a self‐adhesive and stable interconnect method between epidermal electronic sensors and rigid circuit boards, there remain difficulties in detecting body signals accurately by epidermal electronic sensors in daily life. Here, a 3D helical on‐skin interconnect is first introduced for epidermal electronics sensors. Inspired by the structure of the accordion lantern, the interconnect is composed of two electrospinning polyurethane (PU) fiber films and a helical metal fiber. The helical metal fiber acts as a stable conductor with stretchability, and the PU fiber film with polydimethylsiloxane provides a self‐adhesive substrate. Mechanical simulations and tests prove that the proposed interconnect can laminate conformally and unobtrusively onto human skin with excellent electrical stability (less than 0.5% electrical resistance change upon 100% elongation). Furthermore, based on the proposed interconnect, an all‐in‐one sensor‐interconnect design is presented, which endows the epidermal electronic systems with anti‐motion interference capability. A gesture identification wristband system realized by a single all‐in‐one strain sensor is demonstrated. Besides, a wireless on‐skin system that accurately monitors dynamic 12‐lead electrocardiographic is successfully built using all‐in‐one electrodes.

Fiber-Based Noncontact Sensor with Stretchability for Underwater Wearable Sensing and VR Applications

“…As a component of wearable devices, fibers should not only have the flexibility of commercial fiber materials (Figure S3) − but also be lightweight (Figure S4). Meanwhile, the hydrophobic SBBT helical fiber shows a tensile strength of 30 MPa and a tensile deformability of 271% (Figure S5).…”

Templated Laser-Induced-Graphene-Based Tactile Sensors Enable Wearable Health Monitoring and Texture Recognition via Deep Neural Network

“…10,25,27 Various nanomicro structured sensing layers, including carbon nanotubes, 10,28 Ag nanowires, 29 and graphene, 30 have been investigated using methods such as chemical vapor transport, 31 electrospinning, 32 and drop casting. 33 However, their practical applications remain limited, presumably due to the high cost of nanomicro materials, complex processes, and poor reproducibility. Recently, laserinduced graphene (LIG) fabrication technology has gained increasing attention in the field of multifunctional sensors, 7,34,35 soft actuators, 36,37 energy harvesting, 38,39 and heating devices 40,41 due to its advantages, such as simple process, excellent electrical conductivity, and cost-effectiveness.…”

“…The template manufacturing approach offers an accessible method to create sensors with adjustable sensing properties. ,, Various nanomicro structured sensing layers, including carbon nanotubes, , Ag nanowires, and graphene, have been investigated using methods such as chemical vapor transport, electrospinning, and drop casting . However, their practical applications remain limited, presumably due to the high cost of nanomicro materials, complex processes, and poor reproducibility.…”

Stretchable and Lithography-Compatible Interconnects Enabled by Self-Assembled Nanofilms with Interlocking Interfaces

“…Intrinsically stretchable elastomeric composites filled with metallic nanomaterials or liquid metals can possess high electrical conductivities and stretchability; however, they usually resort to resolution-limited printing processes, which tend to restrict the line widths to over 50 μm. 15−19 Alternatively, geometrically engineered metallic patterns by photolithography, such as serpentine 13,20,21 or spiral 22,23 structures, can serve as stretchable interconnects by reducing their local strains during deformation; however, they are usually space-consuming, and the overall stretchability on an unstrained substrate is usually below 50%. 13,21 Therefore, inherently stretchable thin-film conductors compatible with photolithography are more ideal solutions to achieve high-density interconnects.…”

“…Solid-state stretchable conductors are ideal candidates for interconnects on soft electronic systems. Intrinsically stretchable elastomeric composites filled with metallic nanomaterials or liquid metals can possess high electrical conductivities and stretchability; however, they usually resort to resolution-limited printing processes, which tend to restrict the line widths to over 50 μm. − Alternatively, geometrically engineered metallic patterns by photolithography, such as serpentine ,, or spiral , structures, can serve as stretchable interconnects by reducing their local strains during deformation; however, they are usually space-consuming, and the overall stretchability on an unstrained substrate is usually below 50%. , Therefore, inherently stretchable thin-film conductors compatible with photolithography are more ideal solutions to achieve high-density interconnects. Thermally evaporated gold films on elastomeric substrates with proper interfaces and microcrack-mediated energy dissipation can suit this purpose − ; however, their limited stretchability and vacuum-based processes prevent their adoption as economic interconnects.…”