Materials and structural designs for electronic skin

Abstract

Skin is an essential organ of human body for sensing external changes, such as pressure, temperature, and humidity. Thus, using electronic skin (e-skin) to simulate the functions and properties of real skin has become significantly important in the realm of soft electronics. The primary obstacle in the advancement of e-skin lies in achieving stretchability and flexibility while maintaining high performance. To overcome this obstacle, researchers have developed various materials and structures with distinct properties. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of e-skin and technological advancements in materials, including CNT-based materials, graphene-based materials, polymer-based materials, and other novel materials. The paper also delves into novel structures such as wavy structures, island-bridge structures, fractal-inspired structures, and kirigami structures that promote the development of stretchable e-skin. In addition, this paper briefly summarizes the promising properties that further advance the performance of e-skin.