Zou Zhanan, Zhu Chengpu, Li Yan, Lei Xingfeng, Zhang Wei, Xiao Jianliang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Sci Adv. 2018 Feb 9;4(2):eaaq0508. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaq0508. eCollection 2018 Feb.
Electronic skin (e-skin) mimicking functionalities and mechanical properties of natural skin can find broad applications. We report the first dynamic covalent thermoset-based e-skin, which is connected through robust covalent bonds, rendering the resulting devices good chemical and thermal stability at service condition. By doping the dynamic covalent thermoset with conductive silver nanoparticles, we demonstrate a robust yet rehealable, fully recyclable, and malleable e-skin. Tactile, temperature, flow, and humidity sensing capabilities are realized. The e-skin can be rehealed when it is damaged and can be fully recycled at room temperature, which has rarely, if at all, been demonstrated for e-skin. After rehealing or recycling, the e-skin regains mechanical and electrical properties comparable to the original e-skin. In addition, malleability enables the e-skin to permanently conform to complex, curved surfaces without introducing excessive interfacial stresses. These properties of the e-skin yield an economical and eco-friendly technology that can find broad applications in robotics, prosthetics, health care, and human-computer interface.
模仿天然皮肤功能和机械性能的电子皮肤（e-skin）具有广泛的应用前景。我们报道了首个基于动态共价热固性材料的电子皮肤，其通过坚固的共价键连接，使得制成的器件在使用条件下具有良好的化学和热稳定性。通过用导电银纳米颗粒掺杂动态共价热固性材料，我们展示了一种坚固、可再加热、完全可回收且具有延展性的电子皮肤。实现了触觉、温度、流量和湿度传感功能。这种电子皮肤在受损时可以再加热，并且在室温下可以完全回收，这在电子皮肤领域几乎从未被证明过。再加热或回收后，电子皮肤恢复的机械和电气性能与原始电子皮肤相当。此外，延展性使电子皮肤能够永久贴合复杂的曲面，而不会产生过大的界面应力。电子皮肤的这些特性产生了一种经济且环保的技术，可在机器人技术、假肢、医疗保健和人机界面等领域得到广泛应用。
