Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA.
Molecules. 2022 Oct 13;27(20):6872. doi: 10.3390/molecules27206872.
Sensitive and flexible pressure sensors have invoked considerable interest for a broad range of applications in tactile sensing, physiological sensing, and flexible electronics. The barrier between high sensitivity and low fabrication cost needs to be addressed to commercialize such flexible pressure sensors. A low-cost sacrificial template-assisted method for the capacitive sensor has been reported herein, utilizing a porous Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite-based dielectric layer. The sensor shows high sensitivity of 2.42 kPa along with a low limit of detection of 1.46 Pa. The high sensitivity originates from adding MWCNT to PDMS, increasing the composite polymer's dielectric constant. Besides this, the pressure sensor shows excellent stability at a cyclic loading of 9000 cycles, proving its reliability for long-lasting application in tactile and physiological sensing. The high sensitivity of the sensor is suitable for the detection of small deformations such as pulse waveforms as well as tactile pressure sensing. In addition, the paper demonstrates a simultaneous contact and non-contact sensing capability suitable for dual sensing (pressure and proximity) with a single data readout system. The dual-mode sensing capability may open opportunities for realizing compact systems in robotics, gesture control, contactless applications, and many more. The practicality of the sensor was shown in applications such as tactile sensing, Morse code generator, proximity sensing, and pulse wave sensing.
灵敏且灵活的压力传感器在触觉感应、生理感应和柔性电子等广泛应用中引起了极大的兴趣。为了使这种柔性压力传感器商业化，需要解决高灵敏度和低制造成本之间的障碍。本文报道了一种基于低成本牺牲模板辅助的电容传感器方法，利用多孔聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）聚合物和多壁碳纳米管（MWCNT）复合介电层。该传感器具有 2.42 kPa 的高灵敏度和 1.46 Pa 的低检测限。高灵敏度源于向 PDMS 中添加 MWCNT，从而提高了复合聚合物的介电常数。此外，该压力传感器在 9000 次循环加载下表现出优异的稳定性，证明其在触觉和生理感应等长期应用中的可靠性。传感器的高灵敏度适用于检测小变形，如脉搏波形和触觉压力感应。此外，本文还展示了一种同时具有接触和非接触感应能力的单数据读出系统，适用于双模式感应（压力和接近）。这种双模感应能力可能为机器人、手势控制、非接触式应用等领域实现紧凑系统提供机会。该传感器在触觉感应、莫尔斯电码发生器、接近感应和脉搏波感应等应用中展示了其实用性。
