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Ultrathin conformal devices for precise and continuous thermal characterization of human skin

Nature Materials volume 12, pages 938–944 (2013)Cite this article

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An Erratum to this article was published on 23 October 2013

This article has been updated

Abstract

Precision thermometry of the skin can, together with other measurements, provide clinically relevant information about cardiovascular health, cognitive state, malignancy and many other important aspects of human physiology. Here, we introduce an ultrathin, compliant skin-like sensor/actuator technology that can pliably laminate onto the epidermis to provide continuous, accurate thermal characterizations that are unavailable with other methods. Examples include non-invasive spatial mapping of skin temperature with millikelvin precision, and simultaneous quantitative assessment of tissue thermal conductivity. Such devices can also be implemented in ways that reveal the time-dynamic influence of blood flow and perfusion on these properties. Experimental and theoretical studies establish the underlying principles of operation, and define engineering guidelines for device design. Evaluation of subtle variations in skin temperature associated with mental activity, physical stimulation and vasoconstriction/dilation along with accurate determination of skin hydration through measurements of thermal conductivity represent some important operational examples.

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Figure 1: Ultrathin, compliant, skin-like arrays of precision temperature sensors and heaters.
Figure 2: Functional demonstrations of epidermal temperature sensors and heaters.
Figure 3: Epidermal electronic evaluations of skin temperature at rest and during mental and physical stimulation.
Figure 4: Epidermal electronics for a reactive hyperaemia test.
Figure 5: Epidermal electronics configured for evaluating skin hydration and thermal conductivity.

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  • 26 September 2013

    In the version of this Article originally published, in Fig. 3b,c the labels at the top of the graphs were missing. This error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the Article.

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Acknowledgements

This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DGE-1144245, Grant No. ECCS-0824129 and through the Materials Research Laboratory and Center for Microanalysis of Materials at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. J.A.R. acknowledges financial support through a National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship. The work on silicon nanomembranes was financially supported by a MURI grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of NIBIB, NIH. The authors would like to thank H. Eden for his invaluable critique and insightful comments during preparation of this manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. R. Chad Webb and Andrew P. Bonifas: These authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA

    R. Chad Webb, Andrew P. Bonifas, Yun-Soung Kim, Woon-Hong Yeo & John A. Rogers

  2. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA

    Alex Behnaz & Alexander M. Gorbach

  3. Center for Mechanics and Materials, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

    Yihui Zhang

  4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Center for Engineering and Health, and Skin Disease Research Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA

    Yihui Zhang, Huanyu Cheng, Zuguang Bian, Yuhang Li & Yonggang Huang

  5. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA

    Ki Jun Yu & Jae Suk Park

  6. School of Mechanics and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China

    Mingxing Shi

  7. Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo 315100, China

    Zuguang Bian

  8. Institute of High Performance Computing, 1 Fusionopolis Way, #16-16 Connexis, Singapore 138632, Singapore

    Zhuangjian Liu

  9. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, USA

    Jizhou Song

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  1. R. Chad Webb
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Contributions

A.P.B., R.C.W., A.B., A.M.G. and J.A.R. designed the experiments. A.P.B., R.C.W., K.J.Y., Y-S.K., W-H.Y. and J.S.P. carried out the fabrication. A.P.B., R.C.W., A.B., A.M.G. and J.A.R. carried out experimental validation and data analysis. Y.Z., Z.B., J.S., Y.L. and Y.H. contributed to the thermal modelling of sensor response time and reactive hyperaemia. H.C., M.S., Z.L. and Y.H. contributed to the mechanical modelling of strain. R.C.W., A.P.B., A.B., Y.Z., H.C., Z.B., Y.H., A.M.G. and J.A.R. co-wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to John A. Rogers.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Webb, R., Bonifas, A., Behnaz, A. et al. Ultrathin conformal devices for precise and continuous thermal characterization of human skin. Nature Mater 12, 938–944 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3755

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