On-skin ultrathin and stretchable multifunctional sensor for smart healthcare wearables

Abstract

The flexible and stretchable multifunctional sensors for the precise monitoring of the human physiological health indicators is an emerging requirement of next-generation electronics. However, the integration of multifunctional sensors into a common substrate for simultaneous detection of such signals without interfering with each other is the most challenging work. Here, we propose MXene-Ti3C2Tx and 3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene (EDOT) deposited on laser-induced graphene (LIG/MXene-Ti3C2Tx@EDOT) composite-based flexible and stretchable multifunctional sensors for strain, temperature, and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring. In-situ electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of MXene-Ti3C2Tx@EDOT composite into LIG outperforms high strain sensitivity of 2,075, temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of 0.86%, and low skin-contact impedance. The sensor platform is integrated into an ultrathin and highly resilient polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS). Finally, we demonstrate on-site detection of human body-induced deformations and physiological health indicators, such as temperature and ECG. The proposed approach paves a promising route to future wearables for smart skin and healthcare applications.