Biocompatible wearable touch panel based on ionically conductive organic hydrogels with anti-freezing, anti-dehydration, self-healing, and underwater adhesion properties

TL;DR

This paper introduces a biocompatible, self-healing, anti-freezing, and waterproof organic hydrogel for wearable touch panels, enabling reliable touch sensing in extreme environments and diverse applications.

Contribution

The development of a novel gelatin-PAA-based organic hydrogel with multifunctional properties for flexible, durable, and environment-resistant wearable touch interfaces.

Findings

The hydrogel can self-heal in less than 4 seconds both in air and underwater.

It maintains conductivity and adhesion over a wide temperature range and for up to 7 days.

The touch system successfully detects finger position and enables interactive applications.

Abstract

Next-generation touch panels are poised to benefit from the use of stretchable and transparent soft ionic conductors, but these materials face several challenges in practical application, including structural damage, loss of functionality, and device stratification, particularly in extreme environments. To address these challenges, in this work, a biocompatible, transparent, self-adhesive gelatin-PAA-based organic hydrogel (PC-OH) was developed, the gel can adhere to the skin in both air and underwater conditions and also anti-freezing, anti-drying, fast self-healable (with a self-healing time of less than 4s in air and underwater), long-term stable for up to 7 days at a wide range of temperatures, highly stretchable, and conductive over a wide temperature range. Using this organic hydrogel, an organic hydrogel-based surface capacitive touch system has been developed that can detect finger touch position in wet environments and over a wide temperature range, demonstrating its ability to sense finger touch position. The wearable touch panel has been successfully demonstrated through the ability to write text, draw figures, and play electronic games, showcasing its potential use in various applications. This breakthrough has significant implications for the development of next-generation touch panels, particularly in the healthcare, sports, and entertainment industries, where reliable and versatile human-machine interfaces are essential.