Bimodal Thermoelectric/AIE E-Skin Decouples Contact-Area Ambiguity for Concurrent Pain Perception and Injury Mapping.

Abstract

Thermoreceptive electronic skins face fundamental limitations due to signal ambiguity caused by the contact-area effect in thermoelectric devices. Since electrical output depends on total heat flux, localized high-temperature stimuli generate indistinguishable signals from widespread low-temperature stimuli, leading to unreliable thermal hazard assessment. To address this challenge, we developed a dual-modality bilayer e-skin integrating a single-walled carbon nanotube-based thermoelectric layer and an aggregation-induced emission luminogen-based photoluminescent layer. The bottom thermoelectric layer functions as a fast-response nociceptor, converting temperature gradients into voltage-encoded "pain" signals. The top AIE layer provides contact-area-independent optical mapping of thermal fields through photoluminescence quenching, enabling direct visual decoupling of temperature from contact area without computational processing. This integrated platform achieves real-time injury visualization, accurate temperature recognition (>97% accuracy), and reliable nociceptive-like sensing. Validated by a biomimetic robotic reflex system, the e-skin offers a robust solution for intelligent safety protection and enhanced human-machine interaction in dynamic thermal environments.