Thermal management of epidermal electronic devices/skin system considering insensible sweating

Thermal management of the system consisting of epidermal electronics devices (EEDs) and skin is critically important since a few degrees in temperature increase may induce thermal discomfort. In this paper, considering insensible sweating, a three-dimensional analytical thermal model, validated by finite element analysis, is developed to derive analytical expressions for the steady temperature distributions in the EED/skin system. The influences of various parameters including the thickness and thermal conductivity of the substrate in EEDs on the maximum skin temperature are investigated. The comfort analysis is then carried out based on the model to provide design guidelines for optimizing the geometric and material properties of EEDs to avoid the adverse thermal effects. These results pave the theoretical foundation for thermal management of EEDs/skin system in practical applications.