Exceed the Traditional Dead Leather to Intelligent E-Skin

Electronic skin (E-skin) that emulates the human skin's three basic functions (perception, protection, and thermoregulation) has broad applied potential in smart healthcare and human-machine interaction (HMI). To fully realize the integration functions and simulate the structure of real skin, this work reactivates the “dead leather” back to intelligent E-skin (Leather/Ag/Polyborosiloxane elastomer) and further develops its application in harsh scenarios. The Ag nanowires/flakes incorporated leather fiber acts as the dermis layer to endow the E-skin with good electric conductivity, force sensitivity, and electrothermal management. The hierarchical structure allows the incident electromagnetic waves to be reflected and absorbed multiple times, possessing a superior electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding value (≈75 dB). Due to the unique rate-dependent shear stiffening effects originated from the polyborosiloxane elastomer, the E-skin achieves significant force buffering capacity (≈47%) and excellent energy dissipation (over 85%). Moreover, the LAP E-skin exhibits unconventional sensing behavior, including piezoresistive sensing and impact stimulation, allowing for differentiation between low-energy and high-energy stimuli. On this basis, an elegant smart vest is successfully developed with exceptional thermal therapy, accurate contact perception, and wireless impact monitoring, demonstrating broad potential in the next generation of wearable protective equipment and smart robotics.