College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046, People's Republic of China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 Mar 23;14(11):13713-13721. doi: 10.1021/acsami.1c25206. Epub 2022 Mar 9.
Stretchable electronics allow functional devices to integrate with human skin seamlessly in an emerging wearable platform termed epidermal electronics. Compliant conductors represent key building components for functional devices. Among the various candidates, gallium-based liquid metals stand out with metallic conductivity and inherent deformability. Currently, the widespread applications of liquid metals in epidermal electronics are hindered by the low steam permeability and hence unpleasant wearing perceptions. In this study, a facile physical deposition approach is established to create a liquid metal micromesh over an elastomer sponge, which exhibits low sheet resistance (∼0.5 Ω sq), high stretchability (400% strain), and excellent durability. The porous micromesh shows textile-level permeability to achieve long-term wearing comfort. The conformal interaction of the liquid metal micromesh with the skin gives rise to a low contact impedance. An integrated epidermal sensing sleeve is demonstrated as a human-machine interface to distinguish different hand gestures by recording muscle contractions. The reported stretchable and permeable liquid metal conductor shows promising potentials in next-generation epidermal electronics.
可拉伸电子产品使功能设备能够在新兴的可穿戴平台——表皮电子设备中与人体皮肤无缝集成。顺应性导体是功能设备的关键构建组件。在各种候选材料中，基于镓的液态金属因其具有金属导电性和固有可变形性而脱颖而出。目前，液态金属在表皮电子学中的广泛应用受到低蒸汽透过率的限制，从而导致佩戴不舒适。在本研究中，建立了一种简便的物理沉积方法，在弹性体海绵上创建液态金属微网，其表现出低的片电阻（约 0.5 Ω sq）、高的拉伸性（400%应变）和出色的耐用性。多孔微网具有纺织品级别的渗透性，可实现长期佩戴舒适感。液态金属微网与皮肤的顺应性相互作用导致低接触阻抗。演示了一个集成的表皮传感套，作为人机界面，通过记录肌肉收缩来区分不同的手势。所报道的可拉伸和透气的液态金属导体在下一代表皮电子产品中具有广阔的应用前景。
