Spider-Web and Ant-Tentacle Doubly Bio-Inspired Multifunctional Self-Powered Electronic Skin with Hierarchical Nanostructure

Abstract

For the practical applications of wearable electronic skin (e-skin), the multifunctional, self-powered, biodegradable, biocompatible, and breathable materials are needed to be assessed and tailored simultaneously. Integration of these features in flexible e-skin is highly desirable; however, it is challenging to construct an e-skin to meet the requirements of practical applications. Herein, a bio-inspired multifunctional e-skin with a multilayer nanostructure based on spider web and ant tentacle is constructed, which can collect biological energy through a triboelectric nanogenerator for the simultaneous detection of pressure, humidity, and temperature. Owing to the poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofibers spider web structure, internal bead-chain structure, and the collagen aggregate nanofibers based positive friction material, e-skin exhibits the highest pressure sensitivity (0.48 V kPa−1) and high detection range (0–135 kPa). Synchronously, the nanofibers imitating the antennae of ants provide e-skin with short response and recovery time (16 and 25 s, respectively) to a wide humidity range (25–85% RH). The e-skin is demonstrated to exhibit temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR = 0.0075 °C−1) in a range of the surrounding temperature (27–55 °C). Moreover, the natural collagen aggregate and the all-nanofibers structure ensure the biodegradability, biocompatibility, and breathability of the e-skin, showing great promise for practicability.