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The wearable electronic patch that’s impervious to sweat
A smart adhesive patch that wicks sweat away from electronics embedded in its centre offers comfortable and reliable sensing of the wearer’s biometrics or environment without the risk of perspiration damaging the devices.
Yifan Rao is in the Center for Mechanics of Solids, Structures and Materials, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
Nanshu Lu is in the Center for Mechanics of Solids, Structures and Materials, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas 78712, USA, and in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Biomechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, and at Texas Material Institute, The University of Texas at Austin.
Human skin is a remarkable organ that can regulate body temperature by secreting sweat that then evaporates. Sweat-wicking fabrics can draw trapped moisture away from the skin, preventing irritation, but it is complicated to incorporate such materials into wearable electronic patches that contain sensors and circuits for biometric or environmental monitoring. These smart patches must be small and soft, but they also need to resist sweat, which can make the patch peel off and lead to signal loss. Sweat can also seep into the electronics, causing short circuits and corrosion. Although the softness of these patches continues to improve, as does their ability to conform to the wearer’s skin1,2, the challenges of perspiration persist. Writing in Nature, Zhang et al.3 report a flexible device that can discharge sweat rapidly and strategically, ensuring comfort and signal stability during prolonged wear.