Xiong Zuoping, Bai Yuanyuan, Li Lianhui, Zhou Zhen, Li Tie, Zhang Ting
School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 P. R. China.
i-lab, Nano-X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech & Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123 P. R. China.
Microsyst Nanoeng. 2024 Jul 16;10:98. doi: 10.1038/s41378-024-00717-1. eCollection 2024.
Flexible sensors are essential components in emerging fields such as epidermal electronics, biomedicine, and human-computer interactions, and creating high-performance sensors through simple structural design for practical applications is increasingly needed. Presently, challenges still exist in establishing efficient models of flexible piezoresistive pressure sensors to predict the design required for achieving target performance. This work establishes a theoretical model of a flexible pressure sensor with a simple laminated and enclosed structure. In the modeling, the electrical constriction effect is innovatively introduced to explain the sensitization mechanism of the laminated structure to a broad range of pressures and to predict the sensor performance. The experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of the theoretical model. The sensor exhibited excellent stability for up to three million cycles and superior durability when exposed to salt solution owing to its simple laminated and enclosed structural design. Finally, a wearable sensing system for real-time collection and analysis of plantar pressure is constructed for exercise and rehabilitation monitoring applications. This work aims to provide theoretical guidance for the rapid design and construction of flexible pressure sensors with target performance for practical applications.
柔性传感器是表皮电子学、生物医学和人机交互等新兴领域的关键部件，通过简单的结构设计制造出高性能传感器以满足实际应用的需求日益迫切。目前，在建立高效的柔性压阻式压力传感器模型以预测实现目标性能所需的设计方面，仍然存在挑战。这项工作建立了一种具有简单层压和封闭结构的柔性压力传感器的理论模型。在建模过程中，创新性地引入了电收缩效应来解释层压结构对广泛压力的敏感机制，并预测传感器性能。实验结果证实了该理论模型的有效性。由于其简单的层压和封闭结构设计，该传感器在高达三百万次循环中表现出优异的稳定性，并且在暴露于盐溶液时具有出色的耐久性。最后，构建了一个用于实时采集和分析足底压力的可穿戴传感系统，用于运动和康复监测应用。这项工作旨在为快速设计和构建具有目标性能的柔性压力传感器以用于实际应用提供理论指导。
