3D printed trichome-inspired permeable bioadhesive for wearable bioelectronics

Clinical Snapshot

Key Findings

• P Value: Not reported

• Effect Size: 25.6 ml cm⁻² min⁻¹ water removal rate, approximately three orders of magnitude greater than the human sweat secretion rate

• Primary Outcome: Area-normalised horizontal water removal rate of the SRSS trichome-inspired microchannel architecture

• Nnt Or Sensitivity: Not applicable (engineering/device study); key comparative metric: SRSS removal rate (25.6 ml cm⁻² min⁻¹) vs. human sweat secretion rate (0.38–2.85 × 10⁻³ ml cm⁻² min⁻¹) — a ~9,000–67,000-fold excess capacity

• Confidence Interval: Not reported

Clinical Application

Currently at early proof-of-concept stage. Direct ink writing (3D printing) fabrication is laboratory-feasible but not yet demonstrated at manufacturing scale. Integration with commercial wearable sensor platforms requires further engineering development. Regulatory approval pathways (as a medical device adhesive) would require extensive biocompatibility, cytotoxicity, and clinical safety testing before any clinical deployment. In Australia, any skin-contact adhesive device would require TGA registration as a medical device (likely Class IIa or higher depending on intended use and sensor integration). The SRSS concept is not currently listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). RACGP guidelines on wearable health monitoring do not yet address novel adhesive interface technologies of this type. PBS reimbursement is not applicable at this developmental stage. The technology may have future relevance to Australian remote health monitoring initiatives, particularly for Indigenous communities in high-temperature environments where sweat management is clinically significant. Australian researchers and clinicians should monitor this space but should not adopt or recommend this technology outside of formal clinical trial frameworks. Patients and healthy individuals requiring prolonged skin-adherent wearable bioelectronic devices, including continuous physiological monitoring (temperature, ECG, EMG, glucose), wound monitoring patches, and rehabilitation wearables. Potentially relevant for high-sweat-rate populations such as athletes, patients with hyperhidrosis, or those in tropical/high-activity environments.

Abstract

Wearable bioelectronics that adhere directly to the skin have broad applications. However, achieving optimal breathability remains a significant challenge because of sweat accumulation at the device-skin interface. Conventional approaches, such as porous structures, often limit the functional versatility of wearable bioelectronics. To address this gap, we propose a sweat-removable skin sticker (SRSS) with a hierarchical trichome-inspired channel architecture that rapidly removes sweat from the interface while maintaining robust skin adhesion. The SRSS was fabricated through a hybrid process, in which the trichome-inspired hierarchical microchannel architecture was created by direct ink writing, enabling the controlled deposition of viscous ink with high structural fidelity. Through the multi-level ribs design, the SRSS demonstrated an effective area-normalized horizontal water removal rate (25.6 ml cm-2min-1) significantly higher than the human sweat secretion rate (0.38-2.85 × 10-3ml cm-2min-1)-approximately three orders of magnitude. This feature reduces sweat accumulation in wearable bioelectronics, thereby enhancing user comfort. Unlike conventional porous materials, the SRSS relies on channel based adhesive interface design that remains compatible with attached wearable bioelectronics, such as temperature sensors in real time. This work therefore presents a structurally engineered permeable bioadhesive interface for wearable bioelectronics.

References

1. 1.Gu, Z., Xu, J., An, H., Dong, Z., Wang, X., Wen, Y., & Gu, Q. (2026). 3D printed trichome-inspired permeable bioadhesive for wearable bioelectronics. Biofabrication. https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ae7b08