Long-term reliable physical health monitoring by sweat pore-inspired perforated electronic skins.
Hanwool YeonHan Eol LeeYeongin KimDoyoon LeeYoungjoo LeeJong-Sung LeeJiho ShinChanyeol ChoiJi-Hoon KangJun Min SuhHyunseok KimHyun S KumJaeyong LeeDaeyeon KimKyul KoBoo Soo MaPeng LinSangwook HanSungkyu KimSang-Hoon BaeTaek-Soo KimMin-Chul ParkYoung-Chang JooEunjoo KimJiyeon HanJeehwan KimPublished in: Science advances (2021)
Electronic skins (e-skins)-electronic sensors mechanically compliant to human skin-have long been developed as an ideal electronic platform for noninvasive human health monitoring. For reliable physical health monitoring, the interface between the e-skin and human skin must be conformal and intact consistently. However, conventional e-skins cannot perfectly permeate sweat in normal day-to-day activities, resulting in degradation of the intimate interface over time and impeding stable physical sensing. Here, we present a sweat pore-inspired perforated e-skin that can effectively suppress sweat accumulation and allow inorganic sensors to obtain physical health information without malfunctioning. The auxetic dumbbell through-hole patterns in perforated e-skins lead to synergistic effects on physical properties including mechanical reliability, conformability, areal mass density, and adhesion to the skin. The perforated e-skin allows one to laminate onto the skin with consistent homeostasis, enabling multiple inorganic sensors on the skin to reliably monitor the wearer's health over a period of weeks.