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Embedding Pinhole Vertical Gold Nanowire Electronic Skins for Braille Recognition
Author(s) -
Ling Yunzhi,
Gong Shu,
Zhai Qingfeng,
Wang Yan,
Zhao Yunmeng,
Yang Mingjie,
Cheng Wenlong
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201804853
Subject(s) - polydimethylsiloxane , materials science , nanotechnology , substrate (aquarium) , elastomer , wearable technology , stretchable electronics , pinhole (optics) , electronics , wearable computer , nanowire , computer science , composite material , electrical engineering , embedded system , optics , engineering , geology , oceanography , physics
Abstract Electronic skins (e‐skins) have the potential to be conformally integrated with human body to revolutionize wearable electronics for a myriad of technical applications including healthcare, soft robotics, and the internet of things, to name a few. One of the challenges preventing the current proof of concept translating to real‐world applications is the device durability, in which the strong adhesion between active materials and elastomeric substrate or human skin is required. Here, a new strategy is reported to embed vertically aligned standing gold nanowires (v‐AuNWs) into polydimethylsiloxane, leading to a robust e‐skin sensor. It is found that v‐AuNWs with pinholes can have an adhesion energy 18‐fold greater than that for pinhole‐free v‐AuNWs. Finite element modeling results show that this is due to friction force from interfacial embedment. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the robust e‐skin sensor can be used for braille recognition.