Microsecond-Scale Transient Thermal Sensing Enabled by Flexible Mo_1-xW_xS₂ Alloys

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Real-time thermal sensing is crucial for processes like chemical reactions and combustion.
• Existing flexible sensors degrade at extreme temperatures and have slow response times.
• Achieving microsecond response times over an ultrawide temperature range is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop a flexible temperature sensor with a microsecond response time for extreme environments.
• To utilize ultrathin Mo1-xWxS2 alloy films for enhanced thermal sensing capabilities.
• To demonstrate the sensor's performance across a wide temperature range and under various conditions.

Main Methods:

• Inkjet printing of ultrathin and consecutive Mo1-xWxS2 alloy films.
• A thermal annealing strategy to construct the sensing elements.
• Testing sensor performance on flexible polyimide and mica substrates from 20 K to 1073 K.

Main Results:

• The flexible sensors demonstrated an ultrawide working range (20–823 K on polyimide, 1073 K on mica).
• A record-low response time of approximately 30 μs was achieved.
• Sensors successfully detected instantaneous temperature variations from liquid nitrogen, water droplets, and flames.
• A thermal sensing array enabled spatial mapping of temperature distributions, even under bending.

Conclusions:

• The developed Mo1-xWxS2 flexible sensors offer unprecedented response times and temperature ranges.
• This technology is suitable for transient sensing applications in extreme and harsh conditions.
• The approach provides a pathway for novel sensitive materials and flexible sensors for demanding environments.