A Breathable and Stretchable Metastructure for a Versatile Hybrid Electronic Skin Patch with Long-Term Skin Comfort

Abstract

With increasingly diverse functionalities of electronic skins (E-skins), components and structures for the E-skin have also become more diverse and complex. It is extremely challenging to make all the components and devices required for additional functionalities stretchable and breathable to ensure skin comfort. Herein, we report a facile strategy to realize a versatile hybrid E-skin patch with great skin comfort by developing a breathable and stretchable metastructure to serve as the platform material of the hybrid E-skin patch. A Kagome-based mechanical metastructure made of breathable, stretchable medical adhesive integrates and tethers non-stretchable or stiff components and devices to the skin, allowing for both the breathability and mechanical comfort of skin. A wireless skin sensor system to sense electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and wirelessly transmit ECG signals in an event-driven manner such as sending R peaks only is developed on a polyimide-based flexible printed circuit board. The Kagome metastructure-tethered wireless ECG sensor patch does not cause significant skin discomfort when worn for five days, and successfully enables the event-driven wireless monitoring of ECG signals. We envision that this facile and versatile approach expands the type of materials and functionalities of E-skin for digital healthcare, personalized medicine, and smart prosthetics with emerging functionalities.