Development of a new class of on-skin radio-sensors boosted by thin polymer-based batteries

Conductive polymers are currently collecting interest for the development of low-profile eco-friendly and biocompatible non-metallic batteries capable of providing a local power source for the next-generation flexible body-integrated electronics. In this contribution, we demonstrate the feasibility of an organic ultrathin and multilayered polymer-based battery integrating a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag antenna by means of an electromagnetic characterization in UHF band of the polymeric films. The optimally modeling of the battery plus the antenna aimed to develop a new class of shape-conformable radio-sensors suitable to adhere to the skin as a tattoo as well as a plaster. A prototype of the device was manufactured and its communication performances were characterized through the measurement of the realized gain of the tag attached directly onto a volunteer's skin.