Moisture-Wicking, Breathable, and Intrinsically Antibacterial Electronic Skin Based on Dual-Gradient Poly(ionic liquid) Nanofiber Membranes.

Electronic skin can detect minute electrical potential changes in the human skin and represent the body's state, which is critical for medical diagnostics and human-computer interface development. On the other hand, sweat has a significant effect on the signal stability, comfort, and safety of electronic skin in a real-world application. In this study, by modifying the cation and anion of a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) and employing a spinning process, a PIL-based multilayer nanofiber membrane (PIL membrane) electronic skin with a dual gradient is created. The PIL electronic skin is moisture-wicking and breathable due to the hydrophilicity and pore size-gradients. The intrinsically antimicrobial activities of PILs allow the safe collection of bioelectrical signals from the human body, such as electrocardiography (ECG) and electromyography (EMG). In addition, a robotic hand may be operated in real-time, and a preliminary human-computer interface can be accomplished by simple processing of the collected EMG signal. This study establishes a novel practical approach for monitoring and using bioelectrical signals in real-world circumstances via the multifunctional electronic skin.