Zhang C; Wang Y; Yang Y; Tian J; Zhan W; Li C; Zhang Q; Zhao J; Zhang Y; Peng N; Li P; Zhang X · 2026 · International journal of biological macromolecules
Paper
As the rapid evolution of modern electronics, wearable electronics that can non-invasively capture signal have attracted increasing attention in healthcare system. The ideal wearable electronics for healthcare should to be on-skin electronics with mechanical compliance and biocompatibility. Inspired by its natural biocompatibility, silk is elected to integrate with wearable electronics. However, its inherent stiffness and brittleness restrict on-skin applications. In this work, we present flexible silk composite films (SCFs) with lower binding energy through disrupting the ordered hydrogen (H) bonds in silk for on-skin electronics. Waterborne polyurethane and bis(2-hydroxyethyl) disulfide are incorporated to manipulate the H bonds which modulates the hierarchical structural transitions of silk, thus softening the SCF. The resulting SCF demonstrates markedly improved stretchability (~97.30%) and reduced elastic modulus (~37.85 MPa), representing a 1796.69% increase and a 98.15% reduction, respectively, compared to pure silk films. Benefiting from these improved mechanical properties, the SCFs are employed as electrodes for capturing electromyogram (EMG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Furthermore, a pressure sensor is constructed by integrating the SCF electrodes with a micro-structured SCF layer, which exhibits a wide sensing range (0-200.8 kPa) with an impressive sensitivity of 0.493 kPa -1 in the range of 0-12 kPa and a rapid response time of 120 ms. Therefore, the sensor enables reliable monitoring of various physiological signals, including pulse, swallowing, respiration, and writing of English letters. This study provides a new avenue for developing flexible silk-based films and expands their application in advanced wearable bioelectronics.
Analysis
This study develops flexible silk composite films (SCFs) with enhanced stretchability and reduced stiffness by disrupting hydrogen bonds, suitable for on-skin electronic applications like EMG/ECG monitoring and physiological signal sensing.
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