1 research outputs found
Protein-Based Electronic Skin Akin to Biological Tissues
Human skin provides an interface
that transduces external stimuli into electrical signals for communication
with the brain. There has been considerable effort to produce soft,
flexible, and stretchable electronic skin (E-skin) devices. However,
common polymers cannot imitate human skin perfectly due to their poor
biocompatibility, biofunctionality, and permeability to many chemicals
and biomolecules. Herein, we report on highly flexible, stretchable,
conformal, molecule-permeable, and skin-adhering E-skins that combine
a metallic nanowire (NW) network and silk protein hydrogel. The silk
protein hydrogels offer high stretchability and stability under hydration
through the addition of Ca<sup>2+</sup> ions and glycerol. The NW
electrodes exhibit stable operation when subjected to large deformations
and hydration. Meanwhile, the hydrogel window provides water and biomolecules
to the electrodes (communication between the environment and the electrode).
These favorable characteristics allow the E-skin to be capable of
sensing strain, electrochemical, and electrophysiological signals