School of Electromechanical Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
National Engineering Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Henan Province, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Lab Chip. 2022 Jun 14;22(12):2376-2391. doi: 10.1039/d2lc00051b.
Flexible and wearable electronic sensors hold great promise for improving the quality of life, especially in the field of healthcare monitoring, owing to their low cost, flexibility, high electromechanical coupling performance, high sensitivity, and biocompatibility. To achieve high piezoelectric performance similar to that of rigid materials while satisfying the flexible requirements for wearable sensors, we propose novel hybrid films based on lead zirconate titanate powder and microfibrillated cellulose (PZT/MFC) for plantar pressure measurements. The flexible films made using the polarization process are tested. It was found that the maximum piezoelectric coefficient was 31 pC N and the maximum tensile force of the flexible films was 26 N. A wide range of bending angles between 15° and 180° proves the flexibility capability of the films. In addition, the charge density shows a proportional relation with the applied mechanical force, and it could sense stress of 1 kPa. Finally, plantar pressure sensors are arranged and packaged with a film array followed by connection with the detection module. Then, the pressure curves of each point on the plantar are obtained. Through analysis of the curve, several parameters of human body motions that are important in the rehabilitation of diabetic patients and the detection of sports injury can be performed, including stride frequency, length and speed. Overall, the proposed PZT/MFC wearable plantar pressure sensor has broad application prospects in the field of sports injury detection and medical rehabilitation training.
柔性可穿戴电子传感器具有改善生活质量的巨大潜力，特别是在医疗监测领域，因为它们具有低成本、灵活性、高机电耦合性能、高灵敏度和生物相容性。为了在满足可穿戴传感器柔性要求的同时实现与刚性材料相似的高压电性能，我们提出了一种基于锆钛酸铅粉末和微纤化纤维素的新型混合薄膜（PZT/MFC），用于足底压力测量。使用极化工艺制造的柔性薄膜进行了测试。结果发现，最大压电系数为 31 pC N，柔性薄膜的最大拉伸力为 26 N。在 15°至 180°之间的大范围弯曲角度证明了薄膜的灵活性。此外，电荷密度与所施加的机械力呈比例关系，并且可以感应 1 kPa 的压力。最后，将足底压力传感器排列并包装在薄膜阵列中，然后与检测模块连接。然后，获得足底各点的压力曲线。通过对曲线的分析，可以对糖尿病患者康复和运动损伤检测中重要的人体运动的几个参数进行分析，包括步频、步长和速度。总的来说，所提出的 PZT/MFC 可穿戴足底压力传感器在运动损伤检测和医学康复训练领域具有广阔的应用前景。
