Multimodal health monitoring via a hierarchical and ultrastretchable all-in-one electronic textile

Abstract

Wearable electronics with conductive yet stretchable bio-interfaces, multimodal health regulating capabilities, and strong weather resistance are especially expected by athletes and outdoor workers, yet conventional rigid, impermeable, and monofunctional wearables can hardly meet these requirements simultaneously. Here, a hierarchical and ultrastretchable all-in-one health-regulating electronic textile (AIO E-textile) with robust superhydrophobic and antibacterial surfaces is developed through electrospin-assisted layer-by-layer assembly and liquid metal (LM) printing. Skin-like and bio-compatible styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) nonwoven textile is employed as a breathable matrix for the layered E-textile, in which an electrophysiological recording circuit, a strain-sensing circuit, and a Joule heating circuit are successively patterned using EGaIn. To ensure human skin health and weather resistance of the device, antibacterial and waterproof surfaces are respectively installed on both sides of the electronic textile via anchoring functionalized nanoparticles. Thus, this ultrastretchable (1141 %) AIO E-textile shows favorable moisture permeability (1300 g m−2 day), exceptional water repellency, remarkable antibacterial efficacy (>99.99 %) against E-coli, and low-watt Joule heating ability, which even exhibits accurate under-water motion detection capability, and high-definition acquiring of bioelectrical signals (electrocardiogram (ECG) and surface electromyography (sEMG)) when used as flexible epidermal bioelectrode. This work opens up a new avenue for daily applicable and multifunctional on-skin electronics.