Mechanics of Interfacial Delamination in Epidermal Electronics Systems

Abstract

In order to provide continuous diagnostic and therapeutic options that exploit electrophysiological signals from the epidermis, this study discusses epidermal electronics systems (EES) that conform to the skin surface via van der Waals force alone, which is otherwise susceptible to artifacts associated with motioninduced changes. This paper not only establishes a criterion of conformal contact between the EES and the skin for both initial contact and the case where the skin is subject to external loading but also investigates the criterion to prevent any partial delamination between electronics and the skin. These results improve the performance of EES by maximizing intimate contact between the EES and skin, revealing important underlying physical insights for device optimization and future design.