Extremely Stretchable and Self-Healable Electrical Skin with Mechanical Adaptability, an Ultrawide Linear Response Range, and Excellent Temperature Tolerance

Abstract

Artificial electronic skin (e-skin) that imitates the complex functions of human skin is able to transduce external stimuli into electronic signals. However, it remains challenging to fabricate e-skin sensing materials with extreme stretchability, self-healing, mechanical compliance, extreme temperature tolerance, and an ultrawide linear response range. Here, we demonstrate a new e-skin sensor fabricated by introducing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-capped Ag nanowires into the chemically and physically cross-linked polyacrylamide-PVP double-network ethylene glycol organogel. The resulting organogel e-skin exhibits extreme stretchability (>22 000%), autonomous self-healing, as well as mechanical compliance. Particularly, the sensor is capable of antifreezing and antiheating (-20 to 80 °C) and provides an ultrawide linear response range with a gauge factor of 0.15 for 0-430% tensile strain and 0.71 for 430-18 100% tensile strain, respectively. By dynamically accommodating to a curved surface, the e-skin sensor demonstrates comprehensive applications in real-time and in situ tracking of large body deformations, spatial gesture movements, and physiological signals for motion behaviors and health level evaluation, showing great promise in wearable electronics, biomedical devices, and soft robotics.