A Skin‐Bioinspired Urchin‐Like Microstructure‐Contained Photothermal‐Therapy Flexible Electronics for Ultrasensitive Human‐Interactive Sensing

• Published in: Advanced functional materials Vol. 33; no. 40
• Main Authors: Lu, Ming, Huang, Chenlin, Xu, Zhishan, Yuan, Yue, Wang, Mingcheng, Xiao, Mingyue, Zhang, Liqun, Wan, Pengbo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-10-2023
• Subjects: Cycles; Elastomers; Epidermis; Flexible components; highly sensitive diagnostic sensing; human–machine interfacing; Interface stability; Materials science; Medical electronics; Microstructure; Modulus of elasticity; MXenes; Nanostructure; photothermal therapy; Polybutylenes; Polyurethane resins; Rehabilitation; Sensitivity; skin‐inspired flexible electronic sensors; Stretchability; Substrates; Tactile discrimination; Tensile strength; Therapy
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202306591

Wearable electronic sensors have attracted extensive attention in multifunctional electronic skin, personalized health monitoring, intelligent human–machine interaction, and smart medical treatment. However, critical challenge exists in simultaneously achieving excellent sensing performances with high sensitivity, rapid response, low sensing limit, and excellent cycling stability for full‐scale human healthcare detection and further timely photothermal therapy. For highly sensitive human skin, the spinosum microstructure in epidermis and dermis takes an important part in sensing signal amplification and transmission. Inspired by the spinosum microstructure of human skin for highly sensitive tactile perception, a skin‐inspired flexible electronic sensor is prepared from the face‐to‐face assembly of an as‐prepared polybutylene adipate‐polyurethane (PBAPU) elastomer matrix with conducting MXene nanosheets‐coated urchin‐like microstructure templated from natural chrysanthemum pollen grain microstructures, and an interdigitated electrode‐coated PBAPU elastomer substrate. The PBAPU elastomer matrix is newly prepared, exhibiting outstanding tensile strength (18.87 MPa), high stretchability (1190%), and comparable elastic modulus (1.7 MPa) to human skin. The as‐assembled flexible electronic sensor exhibits a highly sensitive sensitivity (up to 784.02 kPa−1), low detection limit (0.12 Pa), and reliable cycling stability for intelligent human–machine interfacing. The MXene nanosheets‐coated urchin‐like microstructure‐contained PBAPU possesses efficient photothermal heating performance to achieve on‐demand photothermal therapy for rehabilitation training.
A skin‐bioinspired urchin‐like microstructure‐contained flexible electronics is prepared from an as‐prepared elastomer matrix with comparable elastic modulus (1.7 MPa) to human skin and conducting MXene nanosheets‐coated urchin‐like microstructure, demonstrating excellent sensing performance (high sensitivity (up to 784.02 kPa−1), low detection limit (0.12 Pa), fast response (11 ms)), and efficient photothermal therapy in smart diagnostic sensing and ultrasensitive intelligent human–machine interfacing.