Meso‐Reconstruction of Silk Fibroin based on Molecular and Nano‐Templates for Electronic Skin in Medical Applications

• Published in: Advanced functional materials Vol. 31; no. 21
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yifan, Chen, Caifeng, Qiu, Ye, Ma, Liyun, Qiu, Wu, Yu, Rui, Yu, Weidong, Liu, Xiang Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2021
• Subjects: asymmetrical films; Biocompatibility; Blood pressure; Blood vessels; Carbon nanotubes; human pulse diagnosis; Insulation; Keratin; Materials science; Nucleation; Reconstruction; resistive pressure sensors; Silk fibroin; Structural hierarchy; wireless
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202100150

A unique strategy of mesoscopic functionalization starting from silk fibroin (SF) materials to the fabrication of meso flexible SF electronic skin (e‐skin) is presented. Notably, SF materials of novel and enhanced properties of the materials can be achieved by mesoscopically reconstructing the hierarchical structures of SF materials, based on rerouting the refolding process of SF molecules by meso‐nucleation templating. Mesoscopic hybridization/reconstruction endows cocoon silk with a robust mechanical and electric performance by incorporating wool keratin (WK) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the mesostructures of SF via intermolecular templated nucleation. Furthermore, the asymmetrical meso‐functional films with biocompatibility and insulation on one side and conductivity on the other (square resistance = 130 Ω sq−1) endow the passive wireless e‐skin exhibited a tunable sensitivity from −1.05 to −6.35 kPa−1 with a lossless measurement range of ≈2 kPa. The pulses of human subjects are monitored using the e‐skin to evaluate blood vessel hardening and real‐time dynamic systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A unique mesoscopic functionalization strategy from silk fibroin (SF) material for the preparation of mesoscopic flexible SF electronic‐skin is proposed. These revolutionary steps enable meso‐hybrid SF to be adopted to fabricate flexible, biocompatible, and highly sensitive stress sensors for continuous physiological conditions monitoring.