Carbon Quantum Dot-Functionalized\nDermis-Derived Transparent\nElectronic Skin for Multimodal Human Motion Signal Monitoring and\nConstruction of Self-Powered Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Electronic skin (e-skin) is considered as a highly promising\ninterface\nfor human-computer interaction systems and wearable electronic devices.\nThrough elaborate design and assembly of various materials, it possesses\nmultiple characteristics similar to human skin, including remarkable\nflexibility, stretchability, sensitivity to temperature and humidity,\nbiocompatibility, and efficient interfacial ion/electron transport\ncapabilities. Here, we innovatively integrate multifunctional carbon\nquantum dots (CQDs), which exhibit conductivity, antibacterial properties,\nultraviolet absorption, and fluorescence emission, with poly(acrylic\nacid) and glycerin (Gly) into a three-dimensional network structure\nof natural goatskin collagen fibers. Through a top-down design strategy\nenhanced by hydrogen bond reconstruction, we successfully fabricated\na novel transparent e-skin (PAC-eSkin). This e-skin exhibited significant\ntensile properties (4.94 MPa of tensile strength and 263.42% of a\nmaximum breaking elongation), while also possessing Young’s\nmodulus similar to human skin (2.32 MPa). It is noteworthy that the\nfunctionalized CQDs used was derived from discarded goat hair, and\nthe addition of Gly gave PAC-eSkin excellent antifreezing and moisturizing\nproperties. Due to the presence of ultrasmall CQDs, which creates\nefficient ion/electron transport channels within PAC-eSkin, it could\nrapidly sense human motion and physiological signals (with a gauge\nfactor (GF) of 1.88). Furthermore, PAC-eSkin had the potential to\nreplace traditional electrode patches for real-time monitoring of\nelectrocardiogram, electromyogram, and electrooculogram signals, with\na higher SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) of 25.1 dB. Additionally, the\ncustomizable size and shape of PAC-eSkin offer vast possibilities\nfor the construction of single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator\nsystems. We have reason to believe that the design and development\nof this transparent e-skin based on CQDs-functionalized dermal collagen\nmatrices can pave a new way for innovations in human–computer\ninteraction interfaces and their sensing application in diverse scenarios.