Maskless formation of patterned leather-based conductive electrode for human-computer interaction application

Leather-based materials have found extensive use in the development of flexible sensing devices, energy harvesting, storage systems, and flexible circuits owing to their high biocompatibility, good breathability, comfort during wear, and robust mechanical properties. However, with the rapid evolution of flexible electronics, traditional fabrication methods for leather-based devices fail to fulfill the demands for high integration and practicality. In this work, an innovative fabrication method combining laser direct writing and inkjet printing technologies has been developed to prepare a self-powered triboelectric sensor array for human-computer interaction applications. This method offers significant advantages, including mask-free fabrication, high resolution, and fast processing. The resulting MXene/graphene/leather (MG/leather) electrode exhibits a narrow width (400 μm), high conductivity (1.46 S mm-1), strong adhesion strength (2.63 MPa), and high tensile strength (7.65 MPa). The MG/leather-based TENG achieves a maximum output voltage of 167.5 V, a current density of 1.1 mA m-2, a transferred charge of 144.5 μC m-2, a power density of 6.25 μW/cm2, and remarkable mechanical stability exceeding 10,000 cycles. Furthermore, the self-powered triboelectric sensor array, mounted on human skin, enables the effective manipulation of cartoon games in a computer program, highlighting its potential applications in the metaverse. This work advances the industrialization and commercialization of flexible electronics.