Ultra-Thin Highly Sensitive Electronic Skin for Temperature Monitoring

Abstract

Electronic skin capable of reliable monitoring of human skin temperature is crucial for the advancement of non-invasive clinical biomonitoring, disease diagnosis, and health surveillance. Ultra-thin temperature sensors, with excellent mechanical flexibility and robustness, can conformably adhere to uneven skin surfaces, making them ideal candidates. However, achieving high sensitivity often demands sacrificing flexibility, rendering the development of temperature sensors combining both qualities a challenging task. In this study, we utilized a low-cost drop-casting technique to print ultra-thin and lightweight (thickness: approximately 3 µm, weight: 0.61 mg) temperature sensors based on a combination of vanadium dioxide and PEDOT:PSS at room temperature and atmospheric conditions. These sensors exhibit high sensitivity (temperature coefficient of resistance: −5.11%/°C), rapid response and recovery times (0.36 s), and high-temperature accuracy (0.031 °C). Furthermore, they showcased remarkable durability in extreme bending conditions (bending radius = 400 µm), along with stable electrical performance over approximately 2400 bending cycles. This work offers a low-cost, simple, and scalable method for manufacturing ultra-thin and lightweight electronic skins for temperature monitoring, which seamlessly integrate exceptional temperature-measuring capabilities with optimal flexibility.