Noninvasive electrophysiological signal monitoring is significant for health care and scientific research. The simultaneous achievement of wet adhesion, stretchability, breathability, and low contact impedance is highly recommended in the epidermal electrode but still challenging. In this work, a monolayer porous film electrode with a pore size and wall thickness of less than ∼10 μm is fabricated via the breath figure method (BFM) and metal sputtering, and it was subsequently applied using epidermal electrophysiological monitoring. The ultrahigh permeability is comparable to the naked skin because the through holes of the monolayer porous film match well with the pores on human skin. The stretchability of 50% is realized with the combination of Au microcrack and the monolayer porous structure. The wet adhesion of 0.17 N/cm is established on the chemical bonding between the electrode and the epidermis. The contact impedance is comparable with the gold standard Ag/AgCl gel electrode, especially after sweating. Stable and precise electrophysiological signals are measured. Especially, the perspiration resistance of the monolayer porous film outperforms that of the gel electrode. The monolayer porous structure provides a new avenue to improve the breathability of the epidermal electronics.
Keywords: Gold microcrack; Monolayer porous film; Stretchable epidermal electrode; Ultrapermeable; Wet adhesive.