Smart adhesive patch sticks securely and releases gently without damaging skin
Most people remember the sharp sting of removing a bandage from the knee. For people with fragile skin, however, this moment can be more than brief discomfort. In neonates, older adults and critically ill patients, repeated attachment and removal of medical adhesives can cause irritation, epidermal damage and even skin stripping.
A team of researchers led by professors Jin-Tae Kim and Seok Kim at POSTECH have developed an adhesive patch that securely attaches to the skin but can be gently removed without causing damage. The innovation addresses the issue of skin irritation and injury caused by conventional medical adhesives, especially in patients with fragile or repeatedly contacted skin.
The adhesive patch is made using shape memory polymers (SMPs), which can return to a programmed shape when exposed to a specific temperature. The patch's surface features pyramidal structures that flatten in the dormant state, allowing for broad skin contact and stable attachment. When the patch is heated above a certain temperature, the pyramids return to their original shape, reducing the effective contact area and enabling the patch to detach with significantly lower force.
Experiments demonstrated that this thermal activation reduced adhesion energy by up to 99% while maintaining stable attachment during use. By visualizing the skin's deformation beneath the patch during detachment using 3D digital image correlation, the researchers showed that activation greatly reduced peel force and minimized subsurface skin deformation in both a skin phantom and human skin.
To enhance wearability on curved body regions, the team incorporated a kirigami-inspired structure into the adhesive, improving mechanical conformability on curved areas and moisture transport. The patch was also integrated with wireless mechano-acoustic sensing devices, ensuring stable biosignal acquisition during both normal attachment and controlled detachment after thermal activation.
This technology could be particularly useful in clinical settings like neonatal intensive care units, geriatric wards, and long-term patient monitoring, where sensors need to be repeatedly attached and removed. By actively controlling mechanical forces at the skin-device interface, this shape-memory polymer adhesive offers a safer alternative to traditional medical adhesives, potentially reducing the risk of skin irritation and injury while maintaining reliable device performance.
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