Facile Fabrication of a Highly Sensitive and Robust Flexible Pressure Sensor with Batten Microstructures

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Flexible pressure sensors are crucial for wearable devices, demanding high sensitivity, wide operating ranges, and stability.
• Existing sensors often face limitations in performance and manufacturing scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a novel flexible pressure sensor utilizing a regular batten microstructure.
• To optimize sensor performance through mechanical finite element method (FEM) analysis.
• To develop a cost-effective and scalable manufacturing process for flexible pressure sensors.

Main Methods:

• Investigated the influence of microstructure dimensional parameters on sensor performance using FEM.
• Optimized parameters based on FEM simulation results.
• Fabricated active layers using a multiwalled carbon nanotube/polyurethane (MWCNT/PU) composite molded with a printed circuit board template.
• Constructed a resistive flexible pressure sensor by integrating the active layer with an interdigital electrode.

Main Results:

• Achieved high sensitivity: 46.66 kPa^-1 in the 0-1.5 kPa range and 6.67 kPa^-1 in the 1.5-7.5 kPa range.
• Demonstrated accurate measurement of small pressures and potential for real-time human physiological monitoring.
• Validated the sensor's stability and wide operating range.

Conclusions:

• The designed flexible pressure sensor, featuring a batten microstructure and MWCNT/PU composite, offers excellent performance characteristics.
• The fabrication method is low-cost, simple, and ensures high consistency, making it suitable for mass production.
• This development holds significant potential for advancing flexible sensors, wearable devices, and related technologies.