A Flexible Pressure Sensor Based on Graphene/Epoxy Resin Composite Film and Screen Printing Process

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Sensor Technology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Flexible pressure sensors often suffer from poor adhesion and wear resistance, limiting their use in applications like plantar pressure detection.
• Friction and repeated use can lead to material degradation and sensor failure in existing flexible pressure-sensitive devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and prepare a flexible pressure sensor with improved adhesion, wear resistance, and a wide detection range.
• To investigate the effect of graphene and epoxy resin ratios on the sensor's performance for plantar pressure detection.

Main Methods:

• Screen printing process used to fabricate flexible pressure-sensitive units (5 mm× 8 mm).
• Graphene and epoxy resin composite material system developed for the functional layer.
• Systematic study on varying mass ratios of graphene to epoxy resin to optimize sensing properties.

Main Results:

• Optimal graphene to epoxy resin mass ratio of 1:4 achieved.
• Fast response time (40.8 ms) and recovery time (3.7 ms) demonstrated.
• Wide pressure detection range of 2.5-500 kPa and stable dynamic pressure detection up to 20 Hz.
• Excellent durability withstanding 11,000 bending cycles and improved adhesion due to epoxy viscosity.

Conclusions:

• The developed graphene-epoxy resin flexible pressure sensor exhibits superior adhesion and wear resistance.
• The sensor is highly suitable for plantar pressure detection applications, especially in high-friction environments.
• Screen printing offers a viable method for producing robust and high-performance flexible pressure sensors.