Chemically Modified Silk Fibroin Hydrogel for Environment-stable Electronic Skin

Abstract

Developing mechanically robust, biocompatible and stretchable electronic skins (e-skins) are highly desirable for detecting physiological and physical signals accurately. Silk fibroin (SF) hydrogels as an emerging class of cross-linked polymer networks have shined a spotlight on wearable bioelectronics. However, the structural and functional characteristic of SF hydrogels produced through conventional methods unable satisfied application in e-skins due to the low tensile property and environmental stability. Here, an environment-stable, stretchable and highly sensitive e-skin is fabricated by photo-cross-linked chemically modified SF hydrogel (MSFH) by glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). This device exhibits excellent pressure-sensing and strain-sensing performances and high adhesion to diverse material surfaces. Moreover, this e-skin platform is capable of detecting stretching motions for gesture recognition, establishing a promising candidate for intelligent soft robotics, human-machine interface and continuous health-monitoring.