A team led by Professor Zhang Lei and Professor Yang Jing from the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University has made a groundbreaking advancement in polar expedition technology. The team has developed a novel electronic skin that remains highly stretchable, self-healing, and sensitive at temperatures as low as -78°C. This innovation holds great promise for polar exploration. The findings titled “Highly Stretchable, Self-Healing, and Sensitive E-Skins at -78°C for Polar Exploration” were recently published in the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Polar exploration is a vital component of human scientific inquiry. The Arctic and Antarctic, far removed from human habitation, contain clues to the early history of life, Earth, and even the solar system. These regions are also crucial to natural and ecological systems on Earth, influencing environmental changes globally. However, the extreme cold of these areas poses significant risks to explorers. The development of polar robots is essential to mitigate these risks and to explore hazardous and unknown territories.

The sensation of robots is critical to the success of polar explorations, and electronic skin that provides a tactile sense is a key advancement. The electronic skin developed by Tianjin University is highly stretchable and can be applied to robotic hands, allowing them to accurately sense pressure, identify object shapes, and recognize specific symbols in temperatures as low as -78°C. Remarkably, this electronic skin can self-repair and restore its sensing capabilities after damage in severe cold, making it ideal for the harsh conditions of polar expeditions.

This innovative cold-resistant electronic skin marks a significant step forward in enhancing the capabilities of polar exploration robots, and promises safer and more effective scientific missions in the most extreme environments on Earth.

“In 2020, our team developed an ‘all-weather self-healing electronic skin’ that was at the forefront of academic research,” said Professor Yang Jing. “Our new generation of electronic skin is a significant upgrade. It not only retains its self-healing properties but also fully adapts to extreme temperatures as low as -78°C. We expect this breakthrough to have extensive applications in polar research and other scientific fields.”

By: Xie Qingyue, Sun Xiaofang

Edited by School of Chemical Engineering and Technology