Nano Letters - Perspiration-Wicking and Luminescent On-Skin Electronics Based on Ultrastretchable Janus E-Textiles

Jiancheng Dong, Yidong Peng, Lei Pu, Kangqi Chang, Le Li, Chao Zhang, Piming Ma, Yunpeng Huang*, Tianxi Liu*

Nano Letters 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c02647

Stretchable electronics have attracted surging attention for next-generation smart wearables, yet traditional flexible devices fabricated on hermetical elastic substrates cannot satisfy lengthy wearing comfort and signal stability due to their poor moisture and air permeability. Herein, perspiration-wicking and luminescent on-skin electrodes are fabricated on superelastic nonwoven textiles with a Janus configuration. Through the electrospin-assisted face-to-face assembly of all-SEBS microfibers with differentiated diameters and composition, porosity and wettability asymmetry are constructed across the textile, endowing it with antigravity water transport capability for continuous sweat release. Also, the phosphor particles evenly encapsulated in the elastic fibers empower the Janus textile with stable light-emitting capability under extreme stretching in a dark environment. Additionally, the precise printing of highly conductive liquid metal (LM) circuits onto the matrix not only equips the electronic textile with broad detectability for various biophysical and electrophysiological signals but also enables successful implementation of human–machine interface (HMIs) to control a mechanical claw.

Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c02647