An integrated self-healable electronic skin system fabricated via dynamic reconstruction of one-dimensional nanostructured conducting network

Abstract: Electronic skin devices capable of monitoring physiological signals and displaying feedback information through closed-loop communication between user and electronics are being considered for next-generation wearables and Internet-of-Things. Such devices need to be ultrathin to achieve seamless and conformal contact with our human body, to accommodate strains from repeated movement such as bending, and, more importantly, be comfortable to wear. However, ultrathin materials are inevitably more susceptible to our daily wear and tear processes. Recently, self-healing chemistry has driven important advances in deformable and reconfigurable electronics, particularly with self-healable electrodes as the key enabler. Although polymer substrates are self-healable due to its dynamic nature, the disrupted conducting network itself is unable to recover its stretchability after damage. Herein, we report the observation of self-reconstruction of conducting nanostructures when in contact with a dynamically crosslinked polymer network. This finding, combined with the self-bonding property of self-healing polymer, allowed subsequent heterogeneous multi-component device integration, including interconnects, sensors, and light emitting devices, into a single multi-functional system. This first autonomous self-healable and stretchable multi-component electronic skin system thus paves the way for future robust, and perhaps even unbreakable electronics.