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A flexible pressure sensor based on embedded cracks and stiffness-regulating layer with high detection limits and wide test ranges

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Abstract

High-performance flexible pressure sensors have shown great potential in electronic skins, energy harvesting, soft machines, etc. However, there are still significant trade-offs in the optimization of mechanical and sensing performance, resulting in remaining challenges in terms of detection limits, sensing range, and mechanical robustness. Here, we propose a new sensor design strategy that uses a three-dimensional porous structure as an elastic matrix, while introducing anF embedded crack structure and a stiffness-regulating layer to simultaneously improve the mechanical and sensing properties of the sensor. The crack structure endows the sensor with the ability to detect small pressures and a high sensitivity, and the stiffness modulation layer provides the sensor with excellent compressibility and large deformation capabilities based on modulus modulation of the porous structure. In addition, the mechanical stability of the interface is greatly improved due to the wrapping effect of the stiffness-regulating layer on the crack structure, which effectively avoids the risk of the conductive layer slipping and delaminating. The proposed sensor enables the detection of small pressure (100 Pa), favorable sensitivity (0.2 kPa−1), wide sensing range (1 MPa), and stable sensing properties (10,000 cycles), and has also been validated for effective equipment surface and human motion monitoring, promising further expansion of the capabilities of flexible electronics in engineering applications.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Natural Science Research Project of Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education (No.22JK0453).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Xi’an Traffic Engineering Institute, Xi’an, 710300, China

    Yao Lu, Tianwang Lei & Xiong Wang

  2. Institute of Mathematics and Physics, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China

    Yanhong Qin

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  1. Yao Lu
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  2. Tianwang Lei
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Contributions

Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by YL, TL, and YQ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by YL and XW. Project administration, conceptualization, and formal analysis were performed by YL, TL, and XW. Visualization, Investigation, and Methodology were performed by YL and YQ. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xiong Wang.

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Lu, Y., Lei, T., Qin, Y. et al. A flexible pressure sensor based on embedded cracks and stiffness-regulating layer with high detection limits and wide test ranges. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 35, 110 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11835-3

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