Highly-stable polymer-crosslinked 2D MXene-based flexible biocompatible electronic skins for in vivo biomonitoring

Abstract

The ability of electronic skins to identify physiological and physical signals accurately is the key to human-computer interaction. However, it is still a great challenge to improve stability of electronic-skin when maintaining the high-level pressure-response for applications in harsh conditions. Here, a highly-stable electronic skin is designed by synergistically incorporating strong hydrogen-bonds in MXene and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Molecular dynamics calculations show that the introduction of PVA can reduce the diffusion coefficient of MXene in acidic and basic solutions, increasing the adsorption (free) energies and providing hybrid film with good chemical stability. Therefore, the film provides stable performance recordings that last for over half a year in harsh environments. The film also shows good biocompatibility and function in an in-vivo study conducted on mice. To enhance functionality of soft robots and personal protective equipment used in harsh environments, it is important that the film has persistent and stable performance, all-weather usability, and good in vivo compatibility.