External electrical stimulation (ES) plays a crucial role in promoting wound healing. However, conventional strategies depend on external power sources and exhibit insufficient responsiveness to the physiological microenvironment, which impedes precise and efficient healing. Herein, a hybrid self-powered ES electronic skin (HSESES) is designed by integrating a gelatin-based outer matrix with a zwitterionic conductive inner layer. This electronic skin effectively harvests both biomechanical energy (from body motion) and ambient electromagnetic energy (from surrounding appliances) to provide real-time and sustainable ES for accelerating tissue regeneration and wound healing. Under physiological conditions, the HSESES can effectively capture biomechanical (33.8 V and 3.2 µW) and electromagnetic energy (±13 V and 7.72 µW). By collecting hybrid energy, the ES generated from the HSESES establishes a safe and stable exogenous electric field that synergizes with the endogenous electric field, thereby enhancing cellular migration, proliferation, and tissue regeneration to facilitate wound repair. In vivo rat studies were confirmed that the HSESES markedly enhanced wound closure. Histological analysis revealed well-organized epithelial regeneration, collagen deposition, and substantial neovascularization. This study highlights the preliminary potential of HSESES for biomedical applications based on sustainable hybrid energy harvesting and broadens the design paradigm for self-powered wearable devices.
Chou et al. (Mon,) studied this question.