Principal Investigator Jeehwan Kim
Skin electronics, which can laminate on human skin, have emerged as essential tools for human/Internet of things (IoTs) interfaces such as real-time health monitoring and instantaneous medical treatment. Amid this sweeping trend, human skin has been treated as merely a flexible, stretchable, and soft space for mounting of skin electronic devices. The skin is the outmost and the largest organ covering the external body surface and plays a vital role to maintain human life. Thus, homeo- stasis of the skin should be maintained even beneath the electronics. However, conventional thin-film device design, neglecting the skin, can induce problems (e.g., inflammation).
Here we propose a breathable skin electronics, not blocking physiological activity of the skin. Sweat pore-inspired micro-hole pattern in a skin patch secure ~100% breathability and an elastic modulus of the skin patch has comparable value of the skin, which can replicate mechanical deformation of the skin with strong adhesion.
Furthermore, we develop all-in-one device transfer process that high-temperature processed (~500 °C), photo-patterned inorganic device array is directly transferred onto the skin patch. High-quality inorganic semiconductors on skin-like patch lead to highly sensitive electromechanical devices such as strain sensors.