Highly Sensitive and Low Detection Limit Flexible Pressure Sensor Based on Modified TiO2 Cocooned Elastic Sponge for Wearable Applications

• Published in: IEEE sensors journal Vol. 22; no. 23; p. 1
• Main Authors: Xu, Zhaopeng, Zhao, Shuai, Lv, Xiaorong, Ge, Xueyang, Guo, Yongxin, Han, Runyi, Gong, Chenbo, Bian, Fei, Tian, Jifeng, Gao, Jing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.01.2022; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Aminopropyltriethoxysilane; Aqueous solutions; capacitive flexible pressure sensor; Capacitive sensors; Dielectric constant; Dielectric properties; Dielectrics; Elastic limit; Electronic devices; Flexible components; high sensitivity; low detection limit; microporous structure; Nanoparticles; Polyurethane resins; Pressure sensors; Robot sensing systems; Sensitivity; Sensors; Tactile discrimination; tactile sensing; TiO<sub xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">2 @PU sponge; Titanium dioxide; Wearable technology
• ISSN: 1530-437X; 1558-1748
• DOI: 10.1109/JSEN.2022.3217086

Pressure sensors with excellent performance have been widely attracted extensive interest with the developing flexible sensor. Polyurethane (PU) sponge has attracted wide attention owing to their porous structure, excellent mechanical flexibility and elasticity. Herein, we reported an efficient strategy to enhance the performance of the capacitive pressure sensor by fabricating a cocooned PU elastic sponge consisting of TiO 2 nanoparticles modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). The tactile perception mechanism and sensing property of the developed devices were investigated. In addition, the TiO 2 @PU sponge prepared with 1mg/ml nano-TiO 2 aqueous solution enhanced interfacial polarization exhibiting a significantly improved dielectric property. The capacitive sensor exhibited superb electromechanical properties such as an ultrahigh sensitivity of 0.93 kPa -1 , a low detection limit of 1.4 Pa, and stability over 1000 cycles. This flexible sensor can be used as a wearable electronic skin mounted on the human body for real-time indicator monitoring. High sensitivity and low detection limit make the sensor a potential candidate for multifunctional sensing platforms such as wearable electronic devices, flexible displays, smart mobile systems, and more.