Skin‐Inspired Ultrafast Self‐Healing Wearable Patch with Hybrid Cooling for Comfortable and Durable Electromyographic Monitoring

Abstract

As the body's largest organ, the skin is an integrated multisensory system with self‐healing ability and helps stabilize body temperature. It is herein, inspired by natural skin, a wearable patch made from porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) skeleton, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel, and silicon oxide (SiO2) particles, offers a combination of self‐healing properties, along with hybrid radiative and evaporative cooling mechanisms, designed for electromyographic (EMG) signal detection and human‐machine interaction. The patch has both high mid‐infrared (MIR) emittance (96%) and visible to near‐infrared (visNIR) reflectance (80%), coupled with efficient water evaporation from the PVA hydrogel, resulting in a hybrid cooling power of 180 W m−2. It obtains a temperature drop of ≈7.7 °C using this patch under a solar intensity of ≈700 W m−2. Furthermore, the patch demonstrates self‐healing ability with ultrafast recovery of electrical conductivity (1 s) and a self‐healing efficiency (≈71%) of fracture strain. Thus, the wearable patch can detect high‐quality EMG signals and provide cooling effects and self‐healing capabilities that enhance comfortability and durability. These features make the patch an advanced solution for developing next‐generation wearable patches that can meet the rigorous demands of durable body temperature control in various applications.