Flexible Capacitive Pressure Sensors with Micro-Patterned Porous Dielectric Layer for Wearable Electronics

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Wang ◽  
Longwei Li ◽  
Lanshuang Zhang ◽  
Panpan Zhang ◽  
Xiong Pu
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Flexible Electronics ◽  
Dielectric Layer ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Capacitive Sensor ◽  
Human Motion ◽  
Capacitive Pressure Sensor ◽  
Wearable Electronics ◽  
Emulsified Water

Abstract Highly sensitive soft sensors play key roles in flexible electronics, which therefore have attracted much attention in recent years. Herein, we report a flexible capacitive pressure sensor with high sensitivity by using engineered micro-patterned porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) dielectric layer through an environmental-friendly fabrication procedure. The porous structure is formed by evaporation of emulsified water droplets during PDMS curing process, while the micro-patterned structure is obtained via molding on sandpaper. Impressively, this structure renders the capacitive sensor with a high sensitivity up to 143.5 MPa-1 at the pressure range of 0.068~150 kPa and excellent anti-fatigue performance over 20,000 cycles. Meanwhile, the sensor can distinguish different motions of the same person or different people doing the same action. Our work illustrates the promising application prospects of this flexible pressure sensor for the security field or human motion monitoring area.

scholarly journals Ultra-Sensitive Flexible Pressure Sensor Based on Microstructured Electrode

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengmeng Li ◽  
Jiaming Liang ◽  
Xudong Wang ◽  
Min Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Dielectric Layer ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Capacitive Sensor ◽  
Duty Ratio ◽  
Capacitive Pressure Sensor ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Sequential Coupling ◽  
Flexible Pressure Sensors

Flexible pressure sensors with a high sensitivity in the lower zone of a subtle-pressure regime has shown great potential in the fields of electronic skin, human–computer interaction, wearable devices, intelligent prosthesis, and medical health. Adding microstructures on the dielectric layer on a capacitive pressure sensor has become a common and effective approach to enhance the performance of flexible pressure sensors. Here, we propose a method to further dramatically increase the sensitivity by adding elastic pyramidal microstructures on one side of the electrode and using a thin layer of a dielectric in a capacitive sensor. The sensitivity of the proposed device has been improved from 3.1 to 70.6 kPa−1 compared to capacitive sensors having pyramidal microstructures in the same dimension on the dielectric layer. Moreover, a detection limit of 1 Pa was achieved. The finite element analysis performed based on electromechanical sequential coupling simulation for hyperelastic materials indicates that the microstructures on electrode are critical to achieve high sensitivity. The influence of the duty ratio of the micro-pyramids on the sensitivity of the sensor is analyzed by both simulation and experiment. The durability and robustness of the device was also demonstrated by pressure testing for 2000 cycles.

A capacitive sensor using resin thermoplastic elastomer and carbon fibers for monitoring pressure distribution

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanzheng Wu ◽  
Siming Li ◽  
Jiayu Hu ◽  
Manchen Dong ◽  
Ke Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Carbon Fibers ◽  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Thermoplastic Elastomer ◽  
Gauge Factor ◽  
Capacitive Pressure Sensor ◽  
Wearable Electronics ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to study the working principle of the capacitive pressure sensor and explore the distribution of pressure acting on the surface of the capacitor. Herein, a kind of high sensitivity capacitive pressure sensor was prepared by overlaying carbon fibers (CFs) on the surfaces of the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), the TPE with high elasticity is a dielectric elastomer for the sensor and the CFs with excellent electrical conductivity were designed as the conductor. Design/methodology/approach Due to the excellent mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of CFs, it was designed as the conductor layer for the TPE/CFs capacitive pressure sensor via laminating CFs on the surfaces of the columnar TPE. Then, a ‘#' type structure of the capacitive pressure sensor was designed and fabricated. Findings The ‘#' type of capacitive pressure sensor of TPE/CFs composite was obtained in high sensitivity with a gauge factor of 2.77. Furthermore, the change of gauge factor values of the sensor under 10 per cent of applied strains was repeated for 1,000 cycles, indicating its outstanding sensing stability. Moreover, the ‘#' type capacitive pressure sensor of TPE/CFs was consisted of several capacitor arrays via laminating CFs, which could detect the distribution of pressure. Research limitations/implications The TPE/CFs capacitive pressure sensor was easily fabricated with high sensitivity and quick responsiveness, which is desirably applied in wearable electronics, robots, medical devices, etc. Originality/value The outcome of this study will help to fabricate capacitive pressure sensors with high sensitivity and outstanding sensing stability.

scholarly journals A new strategy for the fabrication of a flexible and highly sensitive capacitive pressure sensor

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruzhan Qin ◽  
Mingjun Hu ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Te Liang ◽  
Haoyi Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Capacitive Sensor ◽  
Capacitive Pressure Sensor ◽  
Interdigital Electrode ◽  
Interdigital Electrodes ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Application Prospects

AbstractThe development of flexible capacitive pressure sensors has wide application prospects in the fields of electronic skin and intelligent wearable electronic devices, but it is still a great challenge to fabricate capacitive sensors with high sensitivity. Few reports have considered the use of interdigital electrode structures to improve the sensitivity of capacitive pressure sensors. In this work, a new strategy for the fabrication of a high-performance capacitive flexible pressure sensor based on MXene/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) by an interdigital electrode is reported. By increasing the number of interdigital electrodes and selecting the appropriate dielectric layer, the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor can be improved. The capacitive sensor based on MXene/PVP here has a high sensitivity (~1.25 kPa−1), low detection limit (~0.6 Pa), wide sensing range (up to 294 kPa), fast response and recovery times (~30/15 ms) and mechanical stability of 10000 cycles. The presented sensor here can be used for various pressure detection applications, such as finger pressing, wrist pulse measuring, breathing, swallowing and speech recognition. This work provides a new method of using interdigital electrodes to fabricate a highly sensitive capacitive sensor with very promising application prospects in flexible sensors and wearable electronics.

A porous and air gap elastomeric dielectric layer for wearable capacitive pressure sensor with high sensitivity and a wide detection range

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (33) ◽  
pp. 11468-11476
Author(s):  
Wei Li ◽  
Xin Jin ◽  
Yide Zheng ◽  
Xudong Chang ◽  
Wenyu Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Dielectric Layer ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Capacitive Sensor ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Capacitive Pressure Sensor ◽  
Detection Range ◽  
Highly Porous

Capacitive sensor combining highly porous PDMS and rough polypyrrole electrodes improves the device range and sensitivity.

High sensitivity and broad detection range flexible capacitive pressure sensor based on rGO cotton fiber for human motion detection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongliang Zheng ◽  
Youyuan Wang ◽  
Zhanxi Zhang ◽  
Yanfang Zhang ◽  
Jinzhan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Cotton Fiber ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Human Motion ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Capacitive Pressure Sensor ◽  
Joint Movement ◽  
Process Technology ◽  
Flexible Pressure Sensors

Abstract Recently, flexible pressure sensors have attracted considerable interest in electronic skins, wearable devices, intelligent robots and biomedical diagnostics. However, the design of high sensitivity flexible pressure sensors often relies on expensive materials and complex process technology, which greatly limit their popularity and applications. Even worse, chemical-based sensors are poorly biocompatible and harmful to the environment. Here, we developed a flexible capacitive pressure sensor based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) cotton fiber by a simple and low-cost preparation process. The environmentally friendly sensor exhibited a comprehensive performance with not only ultra-high sensitivity (up to 15.84 kPa-1) and a broad sensing range (0-500 kPa), but also excellent repeatability (over 400 cycles), low hysteresis (≤11.6%), low detection limit (<0.1 kPa) and wide frequency availability (sensitivity from 19.71 kPa-1 to 11.24 kPa-1, frequency from 100 Hz to 10 kHz). Based on its superior performance, the proposed sensor can detect various external stimuli (vertical stress, bending and airflow) and has been successfully applied for facial expression recognition, breathing detection, joint movement and walking detection, showing great potential for application in artificial electronic skin and wearable healthcare devices.

Highly responsive screen-printed asymmetric pressure sensor based on laser-induced graphene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiang Zhao ◽  
Jiahao Gui ◽  
Jinsong Luo ◽  
Jing Gao ◽  
Caidong Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Screen Printing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Wearable Electronics ◽  
Integrated Sensor ◽  
Patterned Electrodes ◽  
Screen Printed

Abstract Graphene-based pressure sensors have received extensive attention in wearable devices. However, reliable, low-cost, and large-scale preparation of structurally stable graphene electrodes for flexible pressure sensors is still a challenge. Herein, for the first time, laser-induced graphene (LIG) powder are prepared into screen printing ink, and shape-controllable LIG patterned electrodes can be obtained on various substrates using a facile screen printing process, and a novel asymmetric pressure sensor composed of the resulting screen-printed LIG electrodes has been developed. Benefit from the 3D porous structure of LIG, the as-prepared flexible LIG screen-printed asymmetric pressure sensor has super sensing properties with a high sensitivity of 1.86 kPa−1, low detection limit of about 3.4 Pa, short response time, and long cycle durability. Such excellent sensing performances give our flexible asymmetric LIG screen-printed pressure sensor the ability to realize real-time detection of tiny body physiological movements (such as wrist pulse and pronunciation action). Besides, the integrated sensor array has a multi-touch function. This work could stimulate an appropriate approach to designing shape-controllable LIG screen-printed patterned electrodes on various flexible substrates to adapt the specific needs of fulfilling compatibility and modular integration for potential application prospects in wearable electronics.

scholarly journals Nano Carbon Black-Based High Performance Wearable Pressure Sensors

Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junsong Hu ◽  
Junsheng Yu ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Xiaoqing Liao ◽  
Xingwu Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Black ◽  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Wearable Electronics ◽  
Atmospheric Pollutant ◽  
Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor ◽  
Nano Carbon

The reasonable design pattern of flexible pressure sensors with excellent performance and prominent features including high sensitivity and a relatively wide workable linear range has attracted significant attention owing to their potential application in the advanced wearable electronics and artificial intelligence fields. Herein, nano carbon black from kerosene soot, an atmospheric pollutant generated during the insufficient burning of hydrocarbon fuels, was utilized as the conductive material with a bottom interdigitated textile electrode screen printed using silver paste to construct a piezoresistive pressure sensor with prominent performance. Owing to the distinct loose porous structure, the lumpy surface roughness of the fabric electrodes, and the softness of polydimethylsiloxane, the piezoresistive pressure sensor exhibited superior detection performance, including high sensitivity (31.63 kPa−1 within the range of 0–2 kPa), a relatively large feasible range (0–15 kPa), a low detection limit (2.26 pa), and a rapid response time (15 ms). Thus, these sensors act as outstanding candidates for detecting the human physiological signal and large-scale limb movement, showing their broad range of application prospects in the advanced wearable electronics field.

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

Polymers ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Highly Sensitive Textile-Based Capacitive Pressure Sensors Using PVDF-HFP/Ionic Liquid Composite Films

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 442
Author(s):  
Kyobin Keum ◽  
Jae Sang Heo ◽  
Jimi Eom ◽  
Keon Woo Lee ◽  
Sung Kyu Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Liquid ◽  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Sensor Array ◽  
Vinylidene Fluoride ◽  
Composite Films ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Capacitive Pressure Sensor ◽  
Electronic Textiles ◽  
Poly Vinylidene Fluoride

Textile-based pressure sensors have garnered considerable interest in electronic textiles due to their diverse applications, including human–machine interface and healthcare monitoring systems. We studied a textile-based capacitive pressure sensor array using a poly(vinylidene fluoride)-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP)/ionic liquid (IL) composite film. By constructing a capacitor structure with Ag-plated conductive fiber electrodes that are embedded in fabrics, a capacitive pressure sensor showing high sensitivity, good operation stability, and a wide sensing range could be created. By optimizing the PVDF-HFP:IL ratio (6.5:3.5), the fabricated textile pressure sensors showed sensitivity of 9.51 kPa−1 and 0.69 kPa−1 in the pressure ranges of 0–20 kPa and 20–100 kPa, respectively. The pressure-dependent capacitance variation in our device was explained based on the change in the contact-area formed between the multi-filament fiber electrodes and the PVDF-HFP/IL film. To demonstrate the applicability and scalability of the sensor device, a 3 × 3 pressure sensor array was fabricated. Due to its matrix-type array structure and capacitive sensing mechanism, multi-point detection was possible, and the different positions and the weights of the objects could be identified.

scholarly journals Microdome-Tunable Graphene/Carbon Nanotubes Pressure Sensors Based on Polystyrene Array for Wearable Electronics

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 7385
Author(s):  
Xingjie Su ◽  
Chunli Luo ◽  
Weiguo Yan ◽  
Junyi Jiao ◽  
Dongzhou Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Conductive Filler ◽  
Human Motion ◽  
Wearable Electronics ◽  
Flexible Pressure Sensor ◽  
Human Finger

Resistive pressure sensors are appealing due to having several advantages, such as simple reading mechanisms, simple construction, and quick dynamic response. Achieving a constantly changeable microstructure of sensing materials is critical for the flexible pressure sensor and remains a difficulty. Herein, a flexible, tunable resistive pressure sensors is developed via simple, low-cost microsphere self-assembly and graphene/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) solution drop coating. The sensor uses polystyrene (PS) microspheres to construct an interlocked dome microstructure with graphene/CNTs as a conductive filler. The results indicate that the interlocked microdome-type pressure sensor has better sensitivity than the single microdome-type and single planar-type without surface microstructure. The pressure sensor’s sensitivity can be adjusted by varying the diameter of PS microspheres. In addition, the resistance of the sensor is also tunable by adjusting the number of graphene/CNT conductive coating layers. The developed flexible pressure sensor effectively detected human finger bending, demonstrating tremendous potential in human motion monitoring.

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