Graded intrafillable architecture-based iontronic pressure sensor with ultra-broad-range high sensitivity

AbstractSensitivity is a crucial parameter for flexible pressure sensors and electronic skins. While introducing microstructures (e.g., micro-pyramids) can effectively improve the sensitivity, it in turn leads to a limited pressure-response range due to the poor structural compressibility. Here, we report a strategy of engineering intrafillable microstructures that can significantly boost the sensitivity while simultaneously broadening the pressure responding range. Such intrafillable microstructures feature undercuts and grooves that accommodate deformed surface microstructures, effectively enhancing the structural compressibility and the pressure-response range. The intrafillable iontronic sensor exhibits an unprecedentedly high sensitivity (Smin > 220 kPa−1) over a broad pressure regime (0.08 Pa-360 kPa), and an ultrahigh pressure resolution (18 Pa or 0.0056%) over the full pressure range, together with remarkable mechanical stability. The intrafillable structure is a general design expected to be applied to other types of sensors to achieve a broader pressure-response range and a higher sensitivity.

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Pollen-Shaped Hierarchical Structure for Pressure Sensors with High Sensitivity in an Ultrabroad Linear Response Range

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces ◽

10.1021/acsami.0c14314 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (49) ◽

pp. 55362-55371

Author(s):

Tingting Zhao ◽

Li Yuan ◽

Tongkuai Li ◽

Longlong Chen ◽

Xifeng Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hierarchical Structure ◽

Linear Response ◽

Pressure Sensors ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Response Range ◽

Linear Response Range

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Flexible Pressure Sensors with Wide Linearity Range and High Sensitivity Based on Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printing

Advanced Materials Technologies ◽

10.1002/admt.201900679 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (12) ◽

pp. 1900679 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tong Zhang ◽

Zhaoyang Li ◽

Kun Li ◽

Xiaoniu Yang

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Selective Laser Sintering ◽

Pressure Sensors ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Laser Sintering ◽

Linearity Range ◽

Flexible Pressure Sensors

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Development Of PVDF Thick Film Interdigitated Capacitors For Pressure Measurement On Flexible Melinex Substrates

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-870-h2.4 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 870 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Arous Arshak ◽

Khalil Arshak ◽

Deirdre Morris ◽

Olga Korostynska ◽

Essa Jafer

Keyword(s):

Polymer Film ◽

Thick Film ◽

Pressure Measurement ◽

Pressure Sensors ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Strain Gauges ◽

Interdigitated Electrodes ◽

Higher Sensitivity

AbstractIn this work, a PVDF thick film paste was deposited onto interdigitated electrodes to form a capacitor. Two different substrates, alumina and Melinex® were used. Capacitors, fabricated on alumina substrates were tested as strain gauges, and showed a high sensitivity with low hysteresis. Capacitors on Melinex® substrates were tested as pressure sensors by adhering them to planar and cylindrical surfaces and subjecting them to pressures up to 300 kPa. Their sensitivity and hysteresis during cycling were examined and compared. It was found that sensors on cylindrical surfaces showed a higher sensitivity, however the hysteresis was also increased. It is thought that this is due to instabilities in the polymer film, accentuated by stretching of the substrate.

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Flexible and Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensors Based on Microstructured Carbon Nanowalls Electrodes

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano9040496 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 496 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Xi Zhou ◽

Yongna Zhang ◽

Jun Yang ◽

Jialu Li ◽

Shi Luo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pressure Sensor ◽

High Performance ◽

Limit Of Detection ◽

Pressure Sensors ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Physiological Signals ◽

Healthcare Applications ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Carbon Nanowalls ◽

Pressure Regime

Wearable pressure sensors have attracted widespread attention in recent years because of their great potential in human healthcare applications such as physiological signals monitoring. A desirable pressure sensor should possess the advantages of high sensitivity, a simple manufacturing process, and good stability. Here, we present a highly sensitive, simply fabricated wearable resistive pressure sensor based on three-dimensional microstructured carbon nanowalls (CNWs) embedded in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. The method of using unpolished silicon wafers as templates provides an easy approach to fabricate the irregular microstructure of CNWs/PDMS electrodes, which plays a significant role in increasing the sensitivity and stability of resistive pressure sensors. The sensitivity of the CNWs/PDMS pressure sensor with irregular microstructures is as high as 6.64 kPa−1 in the low-pressure regime, and remains fairly high (0.15 kPa−1) in the high-pressure regime (~10 kPa). Both the relatively short response time of ~30 ms and good reproducibility over 1000 cycles of pressure loading and unloading tests illustrate the high performance of the proposed device. Our pressure sensor exhibits a superior minimal limit of detection of 0.6 Pa, which shows promising potential in detecting human physiological signals such as heart rate. Moreover, it can be turned into an 8 × 8 pixels array to map spatial pressure distribution and realize array sensing imaging.

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Flexible Ecoflex®/Graphene Nanoplatelet Foams for Highly Sensitive Low-Pressure Sensors

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20164406 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (16) ◽

pp. 4406

Author(s):

Marco Fortunato ◽

Irene Bellagamba ◽

Alessio Tamburrano ◽

Maria Sabrina Sarto

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Pressure Sensors ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Low Pressure ◽

Human Motion ◽

Compression Tests ◽

Piezoresistive Sensors ◽

Human Motion Detection ◽

Pressure Regime

The high demand for multifunctional devices for smart clothing applications, human motion detection, soft robotics, and artificial electronic skins has encouraged researchers to develop new high-performance flexible sensors. In this work, we fabricated and tested new 3D squeezable Ecoflex® open cell foams loaded with different concentrations of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in order to obtain lightweight, soft, and cost-effective piezoresistive sensors with high sensitivity in a low-pressure regime. We analyzed the morphology of the produced materials and characterized both the mechanical and piezoresistive response of samples through quasi-static cyclic compression tests. Results indicated that sensors infiltrated with 1 mg of ethanol/GNP solution with a GNP concentration of 3 mg/mL were more sensitive and stable compared to those infiltrated with the same amount of ethanol/GNP solution but with a lower GNP concentration. The electromechanical response of the sensors showed a negative piezoresistive behavior up to ~10 kPa and an opposite trend for the 10–40 kPa range. The sensors were particularly sensitive at very low deformations, thus obtaining a maximum sensitivity of 0.28 kPa−1 for pressures lower than 10 kPa.

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High-Sensitivity Flexible Pressure Sensor-Based 3D CNTs Sponge for Human–Computer Interaction

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13203465 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (20) ◽

pp. 3465

Author(s):

Jianli Cui ◽

Xueli Nan ◽

Guirong Shao ◽

Huixia Sun

Keyword(s):

Pressure Sensor ◽

High Performance ◽

Large Scale ◽

Low Cost ◽

Pressure Sensors ◽

Chemical Vapor ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Wearable Electronics ◽

Wide Range ◽

Flexible Pressure Sensors

Researchers are showing an increasing interest in high-performance flexible pressure sensors owing to their potential uses in wearable electronics, bionic skin, and human–machine interactions, etc. However, the vast majority of these flexible pressure sensors require extensive nano-architectural design, which both complicates their manufacturing and is time-consuming. Thus, a low-cost technology which can be applied on a large scale is highly desirable for the manufacture of flexible pressure-sensitive materials that have a high sensitivity over a wide range of pressures. This work is based on the use of a three-dimensional elastic porous carbon nanotubes (CNTs) sponge as the conductive layer to fabricate a novel flexible piezoresistive sensor. The synthesis of a CNTs sponge was achieved by chemical vapor deposition, the basic underlying principle governing the sensing behavior of the CNTs sponge-based pressure sensor and was illustrated by employing in situ scanning electron microscopy. The CNTs sponge-based sensor has a quick response time of ~105 ms, a high sensitivity extending across a broad pressure range (less than 10 kPa for 809 kPa−1) and possesses an outstanding permanence over 4,000 cycles. Furthermore, a 16-pixel wireless sensor system was designed and a series of applications have been demonstrated. Its potential applications in the visualizing pressure distribution and an example of human–machine communication were also demonstrated.

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Facile fabrication of highly sensitive and durable cotton fabric-based pressure sensors for motion and pulse monitoring

Journal of Materials Chemistry C ◽

10.1039/d1tc02251b ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yinan Zhao ◽

Lin Liu ◽

zhen Li ◽

Feifei Wang ◽

Xinxin Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cotton Fabric ◽

Pressure Sensors ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Wearable Electronics ◽

Term Stability ◽

Long Term Stability ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Facile Fabrication ◽

Flexible Pressure Sensors

Design and development of flexible pressure sensors with high sensitivity, long-term stability and simple fabrication processes is a key procedure to fulfill the applications in wearable electronics, e-skin and medical...

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