Sweat‐Permeable, Biodegradable, Transparent and Self‐powered Chitosan‐Based Electronic Skin with Ultrathin Elastic Gold Nanofibers

Abstract

The simultaneous achievement of multiple functional attributes, such as flexibility, stretchability, transparency, comfortability, biodegradability, and self-powered ability into electronic skins (e-skins) is vital to their long-term practical applications. Due to the internal contradiction between functional material combination and simple structural design, this kind of multifunctional e-skin has rarely been fabricated or even reported. To this end, chitosan (CS), a natural material with remarkable biocompatibility, biodegradability, and electron-donating ability, is integrated with a single-mode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to develop a multifunctional e-skin, which includes sweat permeability, controllable biodegradability, high transparency, and selfpowered sensing ability. In addition, a facile, efficient, and large-scale fabrication strategy is proposed to construct stretchable, ultrathin, transparent, and shape-adaptable gold nanofibers (Au NFs) electrodes. Furthermore, the e-skin can achieve a voltage response pressure sensitivity of 0.012 kPa −1 in the pressure range of 0-70 kPa and a fast response time of 70 ms. Finally, it shows controllable and excellent degradability in various solutions. It is believed that the proposed e-skin based on the design and integration of CS and Au NFs will provide a paradigm shift for the next-generation self-powered transient electronics.

Self-assembly, alignment, and patterning of metal nanowires

“…21f–h). 402 The fabricated single-mode triboelectric nanogenerator exhibits a pressure sensitivity of 0.012 kPa −1 in the range of 0 to 70 kPa and can be used as an epidermal touch/pressure sensor (Fig. 21i).…”

A Review on Epidermal Nanogenerators: Recent Progress of the Future Self‐Powered Skins

“…Stretchable and/or shape adaptable 41 [53,79,126,130,158, Ultrathin d) 5 [183,190,205,210,213] Transparent 9 [130,158,182,187,194,196,203,206,213] Sweat permeable 1 [213] Wireless connected 5 [208,[214][215][216][217] Low-cost 11 [179,183,188,190,191,198,199,204,211,214,218] Facile manufacturing 6 [179,183,184,188,199,214] Biocompatible 4 [53,79,190,213] Metal-free 1 [219] Humidity resistive 2 [181,220] Self-healable 5…”

Whey Protein Isolate Film and Laser-Ablated Textured PDMS-Based Single-Electrode Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Pressure-Sensor Application

“…On the other hand, protein-based biopolymers obtained from animals and plants are relatively economical because of their availability as by-products [ 17 ]. However, the extraction and purification processes of these biopolymers are complex and time-consuming [ 6 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Therefore, exploring new biopolymers that are straightforward and economical in terms of both processing and fabrication has become of crucial importance for successful use in TENG devices.…”

“…Aqueous solution-processed plant-based proteins have shown interesting results to enhance crop yield and quality [ 22 ]. Note that pure protein films lack film-forming properties; therefore, they require plasticizers and crosslinking agents to attain flexibility [ 20 ]. Thus, whey protein biomaterial for TENGs could certainly enable the development of low-cost devices for various sensing applications.…”