A 1.3-micrometre-thick elastic conductor for seamless on-skin and implantable sensors
A 1.3-micrometre-thick elastic conductor for seamless on-skin and implantable sensors
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DOI：
10.1038/s41928-022-00868-x
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发表时间：
2022-11-21
影响因子：
34.3
通讯作者：
Someya, Takao
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jiang, Zhi;Chen, Nuan;Someya, Takao
聚二甲基硅氧烷-金导体厚1.3微米，金膜中微裂纹的形态可控，可用于制造记录心电信号的透气和防水电极，以及皮肤上的压力传感器和可植入的神经电极。皮肤上和可植入的电子设备需要只有几微米厚和足够柔软的弹性导体，以便与三维结构形成无缝接触。然而，制造机械耐用且具有与拉伸一致的电性能的薄导体是具有挑战性的。在这里，我们报道了聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)-金导体，厚度约1.3微米，在金膜中具有可控的微裂纹形态。微裂纹是通过将50 nm厚的金膜蒸发到1.2微米厚的PDMS薄膜上形成的，该薄膜在制造过程中由玻璃上的100微米厚的PDMS薄膜支撑；厚的PDMS薄膜的热膨胀导致蒸发的金在薄的PDMS上形成微裂纹结构。由此产生的导体可以拉伸高达300%，并在应变释放后保持高导电性。我们用它们来制作透气防水的皮肤电极，并可以连续记录心电信号。我们还使用这些导体来制造厚度小于3微米的皮肤传感器，这种传感器可以检测微小的机械力，并创造出可以提供信号记录和刺激的植入式神经电极。
Polydimethylsiloxane-gold conductors that are 1.3 mu m thick and have controlled morphology of microcracks in the gold film can be used to create breathable and water-resistant electrodes for recording electrocardiogram signals, as well as on-skin pressure sensors and implantable nerve electrodes.On-skin and implantable electronics require elastic conductors that are only a few micrometres thick and soft enough to form a seamless contact with three-dimensional structures. However, fabricating thin conductors that are mechanically durable and have consistent electrical properties with stretching is challenging. Here we report polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-gold conductors that are around 1.3 mu m thick and have a controlled morphology of microcracks in the gold film. The microcracks are formed by evaporating a 50-nm-thick gold film onto a 1.2-mu m-thick PDMS film that is supported during fabrication by a 100-mu m-thick PDMS film on glass; thermal expansion of the thick PDMS film causes the evaporated gold to form a microcracked structure on the thin PDMS. The resulting conductors can be stretched by up to 300% and remain highly conductive after strain release. We use them to create on-skin electrodes that are breathable and water resistant, and can continuously record electrocardiogram signals. We also use the conductors to create on-skin sensors with less than 3 mu m thickness that can detect small mechanical forces and create implantable nerve electrodes that can provide signal recording and stimulation.