Intrinsically stretchable and self-healable tribotronic transistor for bioinspired e-skin

Abstract

Skin inspired sensory electronics are preferable to be stretchable and self-healable to satisfy the prolonged wearing demands. Here, we reported an intrinsically stretchable and self-healable tribotronic transistor for bioinspired e-skin, in which the output current can be modulated by external contact electrification. By dynamic non-covalent crosslinking and self-bonding of polymer chains, the device can be stretched to 50% for more than 500 cycles without significant performances loss, and restored at room temperature after multiple cycles of a complete cut with high healing efficiency (>99%). Moreover, the device has high skin compatibility for multifunctional sensing, such as detection of contact and proximity. Finally, a bioinspired e-skin operating under deformations/damages is demonstrated for robot control and grasping objects. This work has not only presented a biomimetic tribotronic transistor for human and robot skins, but also exhibited broad prospects for future robust tribotronics in wearable electronics, robotics, and bionics.