Ionic thermoelectric conversion based on Soret effect, a phenomenon of converting heat into electricity, has been popularized in establishing self-powering systems where thermal exchange is associated. It works in the presence of a temperature gradient, but becomes invalid if there is no significant temperature difference between two electrodes, especially in miniaturized devices and large thermal field. Herein, we break this cognition by discovering thermoelectric conversion in isothermal environments resulting from a heterogeneous system consisting of Metal A/Ionic liquid/Metal B. Asymmetric ion rearrangement is proposed on two ionic liquid/electrode interfaces when temperature varies, accounting for the generation of thermoelectric voltage. This principle can be applied to many electrodes/ionic liquids groups. The advantages of temperature gradient independence lay the ground for the creation of powerless thermometers to alarm large area of fire.

Ionic skin, as an emerging subclass of artificial skin, has been proposed and developed for nearly a decade, which makes up for the partial shortcomings of electronic skin to some extent. Highly similar to the ion-sensing mechanism of natural skin, the ionic skin also acquires and conducts perceptual signals in the form of ions. During this decade, a great deal of effort has been devoted to the species amplification of ionic soft matter and the discovery of new mechanisms of artificial ion sensing. It is worth emphasizing that the deciphering of the perceptual mechanisms of natural skin has inspired a great number of bionic studies in pursuit of the reproduction of natural touch in ionic skin. Ionic skin, as a multi-functional operating platform, is also endowed with attractive functions that are beyond natural skin. The birth and appearance of ionic skin greatly promote the vigorous development of products in the era of the internet of things, such as human-machine interaction, prosthetics and wearable devices. In this review, on the basis of explaining the perceptual mechanism of natural skin, we deeply analyze the progressive sensing mechanism of bionic ionic skin. The typical cases of ionic skin that are beyond the ability of natural skin are also summarized in detail. Finally, constructive perspectives and common issues are presented for the future development of ionic skin.

Ionic liquids, as a kind of liquid conductors with the unique inherent abilities of rapid self-healing, highly adaptive deformation, reconstruction, as well as high ionic conductivity, have been highly praised and recommended as a new competitive conducting material for green electronics. However, ionic liquids are likely encountered with the leakage problems when they are integrated into electronic devices. This issue as well as the need to develop intelligent electronics stimulate the innovation of ionic liquids with response characters besides conducting performance. Some "innovative" or "functional" ionic liquids consisting dynamic chemical bonds can reversibly switch between different states in response to external stimuli. These specialized ionic liquids afford powerful supplements to minimize the issue of leakage of ionic liquid conductors from electrical circuits, and also exhibit the properties of self-healing, reprocessing, adaptive deformation, which accord with the forthcoming era of Internet of Things. This review systematically summarizes the progresses of ionic liquid-based conductors containing dynamic bonds, particularly highlighting their applicable merits in self-healing, stretchable, and recyclable aspects. We also discuss the challenges in the next period and describe an unambiguous future of this research area.