Skin‑Inspired Ultra‑Tough Supramolecular Multifunctional Hydrogel Electronic Skin for Human–Machine Interaction

Multifunctional supramolecular ultra-tough bionic e-skin with unique durability for human–machine interaction in complex scenarios still remains challenging.Herein,we develop a skininspired ultra-tough e-skin with tunable mechanical properties by a physical cross-linking salting-freezing-thawing method.The gelling agent(β-Glycerophosphate sodium:Gp)induces the aggregation and binding of PVA molecular chains and thereby toughens them(stress up to 5.79 MPa,toughness up to 13.96 MJ m^(−3)).Notably,due to molecular self-assembly,hydrogels can be fully recycled and reprocessed by direct heating(100°C for a few seconds),and the tensile strength can still be maintained at about 100%after six recoveries.The hydrogel integrates transparency(>60%),super toughness(up to 13.96 MJ m^(−3),bearing 1500 times of its own tensile weight),good antibacterial properties(E.coli and S.aureus),UV protection(Filtration:80%–90%),high electrical conductivity(4.72 S m^(−1)),anti-swelling and recyclability.The hydrogel can not only monitor daily physiological activities,but also be used for complex activities underwater and message encryption/decryption.We also used it to create a complete finger joint rehabilitation system with an interactive interface that dynamically presents the user’s health status.Our multifunctional electronic skin will have a profound impact on the future of new rehabilitation medical,human–machine interaction,VR/AR and the metaverse fields.