Liquid-Metal-Based Dynamic Thermoregulating and Self-Powered Electronic Skin

Electronic skin (E-skin) is an emerging and promising human-machine interface. Besides skin-like functions of tactile perception and stretchability, skin-like comfortabilities, including breathability, moisture permeability, softness, and thermoregulating ability are, also crucial factors for E-skins. Thermoregulation is one of the most important roles of human skin. People can feel comfortable when their skins are regulated at a certain range of temperature. Moreover, it is a dynamic process according to the surrounding temperature. Current E-skins do not have the function of dynamically regulating their temperature. Here, a thermoregulating E-skin (TE-skin) based on liquid metal as a phase change material with its melting point in the comfortable temperature range of human skin is reported. Compared with conventional E-skins, the TE-skin can dynamically termoregulate according to the surrounding temperature through a phase change. Combining with the principle of triboelectric nanogenerator, the TE-skin is also able to act as a self-powered sensor. Based on the self-powered TE-skin, an intelligent dialing communications system is further developed, which can be used to call a cellphone on human skin. For the first time, this study introduces the dynamic thermoregulating concept to E-skins and could open up new opportunities for E-skin developments.

Automated summary

Electronic skin (E-skin) is a promising human-machine interface with tactile perception, stretchability, breathability, moisture permeability, softness, and thermoregulating ability. A thermoregulating E-skin (TE-skin) based on liquid metal has been developed, which can dynamically regulate temperature according to the surrounding temperature.