Chang Hochan, Kim Sungwoong, Kang Tae-Hyung, Lee Seung-Woo, Yang Gil-Tae, Lee Ki-Young, Yi Hyunjung
Post-Silicon Semiconductor Institute , Korea Institute of Science and Technology , Seoul 02792 , Republic of Korea.
Department of Fine Chemistry , Seoul National University of Science and Technology , Seoul 01811 , Republic of Korea.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2019 Sep 4;11(35):32291-32300. doi: 10.1021/acsami.9b10194. Epub 2019 Aug 21.
Wearable pressure sensors with wide operating pressure ranges and enhanced wearability via seamless integration with circuits can greatly improve the fields of digital healthcare, prosthetic limbs, and human-machine interfaces. Herein, we report an approach based on a conductive-island-bridging nanonetwork to realize wearable resistive pressure sensors that are operative over ultrawide pressure ranges >400 kPa and are circuit-compatible. The sensor has a simple two-layered structure, where nanonetworks of single-walled carbon nanotubes selectively patterned on a surface-modified elastomeric film interface and bridge conductive Au island patterns on printed circuit boards (PCBs). We show that varying the design of the Au islands and the conductivity of the nanonetworks systematically tunes the sensitivity, linearity, and the operation range of the pressure sensor. In addition, introducing microstructured lead contacts into the sensor based on a Au-island-bridging nanonetwork produces a record-high sensitivity of 0.06 kPa at 400 kPa. Furthermore, the PCB that serves as the bottom layer of the pressure sensor and contains embedded interconnects enables facile integration of the sensor with measurement circuits and wireless communication modules. The developed sensor enables the monitoring of wrist pulse waves. Moreover, an insole-shaped PCB-based pressure-sensing system wirelessly monitors pressure distributions and gait kinetics during walking. Our scheme can be extended to other nanomaterials and flexible PCBs and thus provides a simple yet powerful platform for emerging wearable applications.
具有宽工作压力范围且通过与电路无缝集成而增强了可穿戴性的可穿戴压力传感器，能够极大地改善数字医疗、假肢和人机接口等领域。在此，我们报告一种基于导电岛桥接纳米网络的方法，以实现可在超过400 kPa的超宽压力范围内工作且与电路兼容的可穿戴电阻式压力传感器。该传感器具有简单的双层结构，其中在表面改性的弹性体薄膜界面上选择性图案化的单壁碳纳米管纳米网络，桥接印刷电路板（PCB）上的导电金岛图案。我们表明，改变金岛的设计和纳米网络的电导率可系统地调节压力传感器的灵敏度、线性度和工作范围。此外，在基于金岛桥接纳米网络的传感器中引入微结构化的引线触点，在400 kPa时产生了创纪录的高灵敏度0.06 kPa。此外，用作压力传感器底层并包含嵌入式互连的PCB，使传感器能够轻松与测量电路和无线通信模块集成。所开发的传感器能够监测手腕脉搏波。此外，基于PCB的鞋垫形状的压力传感系统可在行走过程中无线监测压力分布和步态动力学。我们的方案可以扩展到其他纳米材料和柔性PCB，从而为新兴的可穿戴应用提供一个简单而强大的平台。
