A Simple and Scalable Approach to High-Resolution Breathable Nanomesh Electrodes for Skin-Attachable Bioelectronics

Abstract Skin-attachable nanomesh electrodes with breathability and biocompatibility are promising for next-generation wearable healthcare systems. However, they face challenges to achieve reliable high-resolution micropatterning. Here, we propose a simple approach to fabricate breathable Ag nanowire-embedded micropatterned nanomesh electrodes (AEMNs) with high resolution and high skin adhesion. Specifically, a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) core–shell structure is prepared. Then selective embedding of AgNWs into the nanomesh via adhesion control successfully achieves high-resolution nanomesh electrodes having breathability and biocompatibility without compromising device performance. The AEMNs exhibit a minimum pattern size of 50 μm and an electrical conductivity of 5 Ω sq–1 at only 1 μg mm–2 Ag nanowires and demonstrate outstanding mechanical robustness under 50% strain over 10,000 cycles with strong conformal adhesion of 20 mN. These electrodes can be configured into multifunctional devices including motion, ECG, and temperature sensors and directly integrated into complex circuit layouts, effectively overcoming the longstanding material trade-off in skin-attachable bioelectronics.