image: By employing an ultrathin organohydrogel coating, the interconnected polymeric network significantly facilitates gas and vapor permeation across the skin interface, enabling the prepared electrodes to achieve long-term health monitoring.
Credit: By Jiawei Yang, Zonglei Wang, Xinyuan Ye, Yujie Zhang, Yuli Wang, Leqi Li, Wenqing Yan, Pengcheng Zhou, Zichong Ji, Yumiao Xu, Mingzhe Wang, Meiqiong Zheng, Xuezhong He, Hossam Haick and Yan Wang*.
For years, researchers have dreamed of wearable devices that could track our heartbeats, muscle activity, and other vital signals without interrupting daily life. However, once outside of controlled lab setting, conventional hydrogel-based electrodes easily dry out, stiffen, or fail in cold weather, making long-term use uncomfortable or unreliable.
In International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers at Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have created a new class of ultrathin hydrogel electrodes that could finally make long-term wearable health monitoring practical. "We wanted a device that could stay on the skin, comfortably and reliably, for a long time," says Prof. Yan Wang, the study's lead author. "Instead of patching existing hydrogels, we reimagined the material itself to resist drying, withstand freezing, and remain soft, thin, and breathable."
The result is an ultrathin, 17-micrometer organohydrogel electrode built from a fine polyurethane mesh soaked in a warm mixture of gelatin and a special solvent. As it sets at room temperature, it forms a flexible, gas-permeable layer that can stretch repeatedly without breaking, survive freezing temperatures down to −25 °C, and retain 98.6% of its water even after a week of wear.
This electrode doesn't just survive tough conditions but thrives in them. Gas and moisture flow freely through it, keeping the wearer comfortable, while its strong adhesion ensures stable contact and consistent signal capture. In lab tests, it endured over 1,000 cycles of full stretching and maintained performance in extreme conditions that would cripple traditional hydrogel devices.
"The biggest advantage of our ultrathin organohydrogel electrode is that it remains comfortable, breathable, and reliable even in harsh environments," Dr Wang explained. "Users can wear it all day and still get high-quality physiological data."
By addressing the long-standing issues of dehydration, freezing, and mechanical fragility all at once, their electrode make long-term and high-fidelity physiological monitoring possible in real-world conditions.
Looking ahead, the team plans to integrate these electrodes with advanced biosensors and test them in real-world settings, from hospitals to daily life. If successful, this technology could enable earlier disease detection, more personalized treatment, and chronic condition management, bringing the promise of 24/7 and high-fidelity health monitoring closer to reality.
International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing (IJEM, IF: 21.3) is dedicated to publishing the best research related to the science and technology of manufacturing functional devices and systems with extreme dimensions (extremely large or small) and/or extreme functionalities
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Journal
International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing
Article Title
Gas-permeable and anti-freezing organohydrogel epidermal electrodes for long-term health monitoring
Article Publication Date
11-Dec-2025