Biodegradable Shape‐Memory Ionogels as Green and Adaptive Wearable Electronics Toward Physical Rehabilitation

Abstract

Rehabilitation is necessary for the recovery of patients with paralysis caused by stroke and muscle atrophy. Wearable electronics can provide feedback on physical training and facilitate healthcare. However, most existing wearable electronics are difficult to maintain a conformal skin‐device interface. Additionally, the use of non‐degradable electronic materials is associated with environmental risks. Herein, ionogels with biodegradation and shape‐memory properties as eco‐friendly and geometry‐adaptive wearable electronics for rehabilitation are proposed. The biodegradation is enabled by incorporating polycaprolactone segments into the ionogel matrix. Moreover, the ionogel‐based wearable electronics can be conformal to certain joints by shape programming, and provide stable and reproducible real‐time signals reflecting joint movements during long‐term rehabilitation training assisted by a robotic glove, facilitating carers to assess rehabilitation efficacy and choose an appropriate scheme. This study demonstrates the potential of biodegradable shape‐memory ionogels as green and adaptive wearable electronics for robot‐assisted rehabilitation.

Digital Light Processing 4D Printing of Poloxamer Micelles for Facile Fabrication of Multifunctional Biocompatible Hydrogels as Tailored Wearable Sensors

“…), the tailored wearable sensors can form a conformal attachment to the desired tissue locations through rehydration-mediated/water-activated shape recovery after dehydration and long-term storage. Importantly, our shape-memory hydrogels were distinguished from previously reported shape-memory hydrogels, which suffer from issues like being non-3D printable or nontransparent. , …”

“…The shape-memory ability of the 3D printed hydrogels enables them to be stably stored for extended periods of time without compromising their structures and properties. In addition, it allows the hydrogels to adapt their shape to match specific geometries of detection locations on the human body . This can be exemplified by the dehydration and rehydration process of a printed hydrogel fitted to a plastic tube, where the tube is used as a mimic of a human finger.…”

“…In addition, it allows the hydrogels to adapt their shape to match specific geometries of detection locations on the human body. 30 This can be exemplified by the dehydration and rehydration process of a printed hydrogel fitted to a plastic tube, where the tube is used as a mimic of a human finger. As shown in Figure 3G−I, the poloxamer hydrogel was printed into a tube shape, which could fit around a plastic tube with smaller diameter.…”

“…Hydrogels with a shape-memory property can be programmed into temporary shapes and recover to their initial shapes upon external stimuli such as temperature, light, and other environmental factors. , Shape-memory hydrogels are useful for developing various flexible electronics. , For example, Wu et al designed a poly­(ethylene glycol)-poly­(ε-caprolactone) hydrogel with the shape-memory ability and fabricated a device that can geometrically adapt to the detection joint of human bodies through shape programming of the hydrogel . Four-dimensional (4D) printing is an efficient strategy for printing objects that can be programmed to change their shapes through specific stimuli. , We believe that 4D printed wearable hydrogel sensors with shape-memory properties and programmability would be highly valuable not only because of the simplified fabrication process but also because of the convenience it achieves in terms of device storage and long-term stability.…”

Recent Advances in Interactive Mechanosensory Electronics with Luminescence/Coloration Outputs for Wearable Applications

“…With the tremendous progress in materials science and wearable technology, a variety of wearable devices that can detect health-related signs, such as muscle motion, body temperature, respiration, and electrophysiological signals, are rapidly emerging in recent years. − As one of the typical representatives, mechanosensory flexible electronics (i.e., strain and pressure sensors) can transform deformations caused by external mechanical stimuli into identifiable electrical signals. − Unlike traditional rigid silicon-based electronics, these devices can be comfortably attached to the human body or seamlessly integrated with clothing for harvesting information from users and surroundings, showing huge potential in electronic skin, personal healthcare, human–machine interactions, etc. − Notably, the deformation of these devices themselves can reflect the magnitude and frequency of the motion states in specific skin areas, which is crucial for human physiological signal monitoring. − Based on this, such electronics can detect not only the human body activities (e.g., joint and muscle movements) but also health-relevant indicators (e.g., blood pressure, heart beating, and pulse). Hence, they have important practical value especially in health condition evaluation and the early detection of diseases.…”