The e-skin is malleable, self-healing and fully recyclable promising to revolutionise robotics, prosthetis and biomedical devices.
A Terminator-style electronic skin that repairs itself just like the film’s main villain is has been developed by scientists.
The e-skin is malleable, self-healing and fully recyclable promising to revolutionise robotics, prosthetis and biomedical devices.
E-skins are thin, translucent material that can mimic the function and mechanical properties of human skin and different types are being developed across the globe.
The new type by University of Colorado Boulder researchers has sensors embedded to measure pressure, temperature, humidity and air flow.
It is also a novel type of covalently bonded dynamic network polymer, known as polyimine laced with silver nanoparticles to provide better mechanical strength, chemical stability and electrical conductivity.
Assistant Professor Jianliang Xiao explained: “What is unique here is that the chemical bonding of polyimine we use allows the e-skin to be both self-healing and fully recyclable at room temperature
“Given the millions of tons of electronic waste generated worldwide every year, the recyclability of our e-skin makes good economic and environmental sense.”
It is also a novel type of covalently bonded dynamic network polymer, known as polyimine laced with silver nanoparticles to provide better mechanical strength, chemical stability and electrical conductivity.
Assistant Professor Jianliang Xiao explained: “What is unique here is that the chemical bonding of polyimine we use allows the e-skin to be both self-healing and fully recyclable at room temperature
“Given the millions of tons of electronic waste generated worldwide every year, the recyclability of our e-skin makes good economic and environmental sense.”
Associate Professor Wei Zhang said while many people are familiar with The Terminator, the new process was not nearly as dramatic.
But the healing of cut or broken e-skin, including the sensors, is done by using a mix of three commercially available compounds in ethanol.
Another benefit is that it can be easily conformed to curved surfaces like human arms and robotic hands by applying moderate heat and pressure to it without introducing excessive stresses.
Prof Zhang added: “Let’s say you wanted a robot to take care of a baby.
“In that case you would integrate e-skin on therobot fingers that can feel the pressure of the baby.
“The idea is to try and mimic biological skin with e-skin that has desired functions.”
To recycle the skin, the device is soaked into recycling solution, making the polymers degrade into oligomers (polymers with polymerisation degree usually below 10) and monomers (small molecules that can be joined together into polymers) that are soluble in ethanol.
The silver nanoparticles sink to the bottom of the solution.
Prof Xiao said: “The recycled solution and nanoparticles can then be used to make new, functional e-skin.”
