Wood Derived Composites for High Sensitivity and Wide Linear-Range Pressure Sensing.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Natural wood features a unique hierarchical 3D microstructure with interconnected channels.
• Flexible pressure sensors are crucial for wearable electronics and health monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile processing strategy for fabricating flexible pressure sensors utilizing wood's natural microstructure.
• To analyze the impact of wood's multichannel structure on sensor performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of carbon/silicone composite flexible pressure sensors using processed natural wood.
• Comparative analysis of sensor performance based on vertically cut and horizontally cut wood structures.
• Characterization of sensor sensitivity, linear range, hysteresis, and cycle stability.

Main Results:

• Horizontally cut composite-based sensors demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity (10.74 kPa^-1) and a wider linear region (100 kPa, R² = 99%).
• The enhanced performance is attributed to the rough surface and deformable microstructure of the horizontally cut wood.
• Sensors exhibited minimal hysteresis and good cycle stability.

Conclusions:

• Wood's natural 3D multichannel structure can be effectively utilized to create high-performance flexible pressure sensors.
• These sensors are suitable for accurate continuous measurement of human pulse and respiration.
• The developed sensors hold promise for real-time health signal monitoring and disease diagnosis.