Antibacterial and Multiresponsive Electronic Skins from Silk Fibroin Triple-Network Hydrogels
Abstract
Silk fibroin (SF) is an attractive matrix for flexible bioelectronics owing to its biocompatibility and chemical tunability, yet its limited mechanical robustness, lack of antibacterial function, and unstable electrical performance constrain its broader application. Here, we report a triple-network ionic hydrogel engineered from methacrylated SF (SFMA), acrylate-terminated silicone (SilMA), and the cationic monomer METAC. The SFMA/SilMA/METAC (SSM) hydrogel forms a uniform interpenetrating network that markedly strengthens mechanical properties, suppresses swelling and component leaching, and achieves >99% antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ), while preserving excellent cytocompatibility. As a resistive iontronic e-skin, the SSM hydrogel exhibits high pressure sensitivity (2.14 kPa –1 ), rapid response/recovery (6/12 ms), a low detection limit of 20 Pa, and long-term stability over 1500 cycles at 20 kPa with
Fields of Study & Subjects
Silk-based biomaterials and applications
Polydiacetylene-based materials and applications
Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Biomacromolecules
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 3854–3868
- Publication date
- 13 May 2026
- Language
- EN