Tissue-like skin-device interface for wearable bioelectronics by using ultrasoft, mass-permeable, and low-impedance hydrogels

Abstract

Hydrogels consist of a cross-linked porous polymer network and water molecules occupying the interspace between the polymer chains. Therefore, hydrogels are soft and moisturized, with mechanical structures and physical properties similar to those of human tissue. Such hydrogels have a potential to turn the microscale gap between wearable devices and human skin into a tissue-like space. Here, we present material and device strategies to form a tissue-like, quasi-solid interface between wearable bioelectronics and human skin. The key material is an ultrathin type of functionalized hydrogel that shows unusual features of high mass-permeability and low impedance. The functionalized hydrogel acted as a liquid electrolyte on the skin and formed an extremely conformal and low-impedance interface for wearable electrochemical biosensors and electrical stimulators. Furthermore, its porous structure and ultrathin thickness facilitated the efficient transport of target molecules through the interface. Therefore, this functionalized hydrogel can maximize the performance of various wearable bioelectronics.

Electronic skin as wireless human-machine interfaces for robotic VR

“…Human-machine interfaces (HMIs) in teleoperated robots have attracted great attention due to their great potential in many application areas, such as immersive games (1,2), prosthesis or exoskeleton control (3)(4)(5), and extreme environment operation (6). Although substantial progress has been made in the development of HMI systems and equipment, most of them rely on cumbersome machines and rigid electronics that have constraints in terms of wearability, comfortability, and limited functionalities (7)(8)(9). With the fast development of flexible electronics, HMI system is switching from conventional bulky equipment to miniaturized and integrated alternatives on flexible substrates (10)(11)(12).…”

Highly-integrated, miniaturized, stretchable electronic systems based on stacked multilayer network materials

“…Stretchable electronics represent an area of focusing interest in the past decade, in part owing to the broad spectrum of applications, spreading from health monitoring (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8) and disease treatment (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16), to internet of things (17)(18)(19)(20) and soft robots (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28), and to virtual reality and augmented reality (29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34). Stretchable inorganic electronics mainly rely on integration of high-performance inorganic components with elastomer substrates, where ingenious structural designs are key to a high degree of stretchability of the device system, since inorganic electronic components are usually rigid and brittle (35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42).…”

A self-powered wireless motion sensor based on a high-surface area reverse electrowetting-on-dielectric energy harvester

“…Advanced research on wireless wearable bioelectronic devices have been extensively proliferated while broadening the scope of health monitoring systems 1 – 5 . Wireless wearable systems provide the advantage of utilizing a noninvasive method of deriving physical activities and sending those to a remote user.…”