Flexible Hygroscopic Electronics for Real-Time Moisture Sorption-Desorption Monitoring and Smart Humidity Regulation.

Abstract

Humidity regulation plays a critical role in precision electronics, advanced storage, thermal, and energy management applications. While real-time monitoring of water molecule dynamics during moisture sorption and desorption processes could provide crucial hygroscopic parameters for smart humidity regulation, conventional gravimetric methods suffer from low tracking speed, limited accuracy, and an inability to perform in situ detection. Here, we report a flexible hygroscopic electronics (FHE) capable of simultaneously regulating environmental moisture and dynamically monitoring sorption-desorption processes through water-mediated resistive changes in confined space. The targeted electronics exhibit exceptional performance, including a fast hygroscopic response of ∼2.1 s at 90% RH, cycling stability, and stable sorption-desorption properties over more than 50 cycles. By engineering a series of modular array-based sensors, we achieve adjustable humidity control in enclosed spaces according to application-specific requirements. As a proof-of-concept, the intelligent electronic array successfully maintains stable humidity conditions even in damaged equipment enclosures (>3.5 h) and provides rapid sensory alerts. This work establishes an intelligent core-shell FHE system, that absorbs unexpected moisture through a bio-based hygroscopic core and simultaneously monitors the water sorption/desorption behaviors by a thin conductive shell, which allows remote warning for potential seal risk of equipment in an early stage.