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A Bioinspired Mineral Hydrogel as a Self‐Healable, Mechanically Adaptable Ionic Skin for Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensing
Author(s) -
Lei Zhouyue,
Wang Quankang,
Sun Shengtong,
Zhu Wencheng,
Wu Peiyi
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201700321
Subject(s) - materials science , soft robotics , wearable computer , nanotechnology , capacitive sensing , electronic skin , artificial skin , wearable technology , self healing , pressure sensor , human motion , biomedical engineering , computer science , artificial intelligence , mechanical engineering , robot , engineering , embedded system , medicine , motion (physics) , alternative medicine , pathology , operating system
In the past two decades, artificial skin‐like materials have received increasing research interests for their broad applications in artificial intelligence, wearable devices, and soft robotics. However, profound challenges remain in terms of imitating human skin because of its unique combination of mechanical and sensory properties. In this work, a bioinspired mineral hydrogel is developed to fabricate a novel type of mechanically adaptable ionic skin sensor. Due to its unique viscoelastic properties, the hydrogel‐based capacitive sensor is compliant, self‐healable, and can sense subtle pressure changes, such as a gentle finger touch, human motion, or even small water droplets. It might not only show great potential in applications such as artificial intelligence, human/machine interactions, personal healthcare, and wearable devices, but also promote the development of next‐generation mechanically adaptable intelligent skin‐like devices.