A Fully Biodegradable Ferroelectric Skin Sensor from Edible Porcine Skin Gelatine

Abstract

High-performance biodegradable electronic devices are being investigated to address the global electronic waste problem. In this work, a fully biodegradable ferroelectric nanogenerator-driven skin sensor with ultrasensitive bimodal sensing capability based on edible porcine skin gelatine is demonstrated. The microstructure and molecular engineering of gelatine induces polarization confinement that gives rise the ferroelectric properties, resulting in a piezoelectric coefficient (d(33)) of approximate to 24 pC N-1 and pyroelectric coefficient of approximate to 13 mu C m(-2)K(-1), which are 6 and 11.8 times higher, respectively, than those of the conventional planar gelatine. The ferroelectric gelatine skin sensor has exceptionally high pressure sensitivity (approximate to 41 mV Pa-1) and the lowest detection limit of pressure (approximate to 0.005 Pa) and temperature (approximate to 0.04 K) ever reported for ferroelectric sensors. In proof-of-concept tests, this device is able to sense the spatially resolved pressure, temperature, and surface texture of an unknown object, demonstrating potential for robotic skins and wearable electronics with zero waste footprint.