Impact of Microstructure on Sensing Performance of Fiber-Based Iontronic Pressure Sensors: A Comparative Study

Highly sensitive flexible pressure sensors are crucial for wearable health monitoring and human-machine interaction. While the emerging iontronic sensors inherently offer high sensitivity, this can be further improved by engineering microstructured interfaces. In this study, we employ four different types of common fiber materials as substrates for fabricating ionic dielectric layers by a simple impregnation of ionic liquid (IL). A comparative study reveals that the porosity and microstructural architecture (e.g., fiber diameter) of the substrate material directly influences the amount of adsorbed IL and consequent sensing performance. We achieved the highest sensitivity by using a thin electrospun TPU/IL nanofiber mat (33 μm), which exhibited high sensitivities of 3.10 kPa^-1, 1.85 kPa^-1, and 1.02 kPa^-1 in the pressure ranges of 0-200 kPa, 200-400 kPa, and 400-700 kPa, respectively. Furthermore, the sensor exhibited an excellent fast response (2.71 ms) and recovery time (8.71 ms), along with outstanding cyclic stability. This work provides valuable guidance for selecting and utilizing common fiber materials to develop high-sensitivity iontronic pressure sensors, paving the way for their practical application in next-generation wearable electronics.