Advances in Materials for Additively Manufactured Electronics Skin Patches

Electronic skin patches have emerged as promising platforms for various biomedical applications, including healthcare monitoring, prosthetics, wound care, stimulation, rehabilitation, medicine delivery, and human-machine interfaces. Advances in flexible and strechable supporting films and compatible functional materials have enabled conformal integration of sensors onto the skin, facilitating real-time monitoring of vital signs, pressure profiles, motion, and environmental parameters.Careful selection of all materials of construction as well as the geometries of the patch are critical to ensure the maximum durability of the end device while maintaining user comfort. This includes consideration of the thicknesses and moduli for mechanical matching of substrates, functional, and decorative material features. The chemical compatibility of these materials, and design considerations with regards to the interfaces to conventional electronic devices are also important to be properly engineered for mechanical matching. A multivariable design of experiments is necessary to optimize the final device bill of materials and design for reliability, performance, and comfort.