Forward Design of Single Ultra-Wide Range and Highly Sensitive Flexible Pressure Sensor for Multi-...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Human physiological and motion information generates surface vibration signals detectable by wearable pressure sensors.
• Existing flexible pressure sensors face limitations in simultaneously achieving a wide detection range (Pa to MPa) and high sensitivity.
• The broad pressure spectrum from physiological signals poses a significant challenge for current sensor technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an ultra-wide range and highly sensitive flexible pressure sensor.
• To overcome the limitations of existing sensors in detecting diverse pressure levels with high sensitivity.
• To enable high-precision monitoring of physiological and motion signals across a wide pressure spectrum.

Main Methods:

• Proposed a forward design method utilizing synergistic effects.
• Incorporated a gradient porous structure and a multi-level pyramid array.
• Employed a composite piezoresistive material for enhanced performance.

Main Results:

• Achieved high sensitivity of 345.8 (0-1 MPa) and 3320.2 kPa⁻¹ (1-2 MPa).
• Demonstrated non-saturating sensitivity, with sensitivity increasing with pressure.
• Exhibited high resolution (<1‰), fast response/recovery (30/50 ms), and long-term stability.

Conclusions:

• The developed sensor overcomes the saturation bottleneck in flexible pressure sensors.
• Enables high-precision monitoring of physiological and motion signals across an ultra-wide pressure range.
• Presents a novel approach for designing advanced flexible pressure sensors.