Hierarchically Designed Super-Elastic Metafabric for Thermal-Wet Comfortable and Antibacterial Epidermal Electrode

On-skin electronic systems represent a burgeoning technology that develops wearable devices capable of adapting to the dynamic surfaces of the human body. Present film-based electronics are constrained to single-layered constructions on impermeable substrates that severely inhibit their wearing comfort and multi-functionality. Herein, a thermal-wet comfortable and antibacterial epidermal electrode is hierarchically designed on an ultra-stretchable metafabric. Via the layer-by-layer assembly of trilayered elastomeric fibers with multi-scale sizes and varied compositions, porosity and wettability asymmetries are established across the nonwoven fabric, rendering it with unidirectional liquid conduction and sweat self-pumping performance. The successful printing of stretchable liquid-metal (EGaIn) circuits on ZnO NPs anchored microfibers simultaneously equips the trilayered metafabric with robust antibacterial capability, low-watt heating ability, and high-fidelity detectability for surface electromyography signals of various physical activities. Moreover, the incorporation of thermochromic microcapsules in the outmost fibers also enables the fabric Joule heater with visual indicating ability via reversible color-switching. Thus, this hierarchically engineered epidermal electrode with thermal-wet comfort and antibacterial ability holds great promise in daily applicable healthcare and sports monitoring electronics.

Automated summary

The on-skin electronic system developed in this study features a hierarchically designed epidermal electrode with thermal-wet comfort and antibacterial capabilities, making it promising for applications in healthcare and sports monitoring electronics. The system combines elastomeric fibers, liquid-metal circuits, and thermochromic microcapsules to achieve unidirectional liquid conduction, self-pumping performance, antibacterial capability, low-watt heating ability, high-fidelity detectability, and visual indicating ability, showcasing its versatility and potential for practical use.