Scaleable asymmetric “Janus” patch with seamless elastomer-hydrogel integration for wet on-skin electronic interfaces

作者：Xiaoliang Zou, Xuechuan Wang, Long Xie, Yanlong Yang, Chao Wei, Yi Zhou, Peiyao Huo, Ouyang Yue, Xinhua Liu · 发表于：Chemical Engineering Journal · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.cej.2025.162244 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials、Advanced Materials and Mechanics、Tactile and Sensory Interactions

On-skin electronics create comfortable, stable and durable interfaces with the skin through appropriate adhesion. However, external environmental disturbances and detachment between electronics and wet or sweaty skin often compromise signal quality in human–machine interfaces. Here, we address this challenge by developing a scalable asymmetric “Janus” patch, Elastomer-Hydrogel Integration (EHI), inspired by the paper-sizing process. A comprehensive series of analytical, adhesion, mechanical, and electrical tests demonstrated that the hydrogel layer of EHI exhibits excellent adhesion to wet tissues, high conductivity, low modulus, and seamless skin contact providing versatile stable on-skin electronic interfaces. Moreover, the tough elastomer layer, thermally welded to the hydrogel layer, forms a protective barrier to minimize environmental interactions. This seamless integration of the two layers offers an optimal balance between adhesion, elasticity, and resistance to external interferences, endowing the EHI with conformal long-term adhesion to wet-skin, robust electromechanical response, and a high signal-to-noise ratio for electromyography signals. Additionally, due to its asymmetric hygroscopic structural design, a moisture-electric generator assembled from EHI enables self-powered respiration and sweat monitoring via ionic diffusion. This “Janus” patch represents a promising solution for practical applications in on-skin electronic interfaces.