Fully-Printed Optical-Electric Dual Mode Flexible Sensor

Hui Zhou ^1,2, Yue Qiu ³, Pei He ³

⁰Hunan Key Laboratory for Super-microstructure and Ultrafast Process, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Advanced Materials (deerfield Beach, Fla.) +

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January 9, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Researchers developed a novel flexible sensor using mechanoluminescence ink for enhanced smart home control. This optical-electric dual-mode sensor offers high-resolution stress detection, improving human-computer interaction security.

Area Of Science

Materials Science
Sensor Technology
Human-Computer Interaction

Background

Smart home control systems (SHCS) rely on human-computer interaction (HCI) interfaces for control.
Current HCI interfaces have security vulnerabilities due to static and singular data collection.
There is a need for advanced HCI interfaces with enhanced sensing capabilities.

Purpose Of The Study

To develop a high-performance mechanoluminescence (ML) ink for advanced sensing applications.
To create an optical-electric dual-mode flexible sensor (OEDM-FS) for precise stress detection.
To enhance security and functionality of HCI interfaces in SHCS.

Main Methods

Formulation of high-resolution ZnS:Mn2+ mechanoluminescence (ML) ink (100 µm resolution).
Fabrication of an OEDM-FS using 2D and 3D printing, integrating a capacitive pressure sensor (CPS) and ML sensor.
Utilized machine learning algorithms to analyze ML signals for stress distribution identification.

Main Results

Achieved a low stress detection threshold of 0.01 MPa with the ML ink.
The OEDM-FS demonstrated high stability (±0.3% signal fluctuation over 10,000 cycles) and high-resolution stress mapping (200 µm).
Machine learning accurately identified stress distribution with 98.5% accuracy.

Conclusions

The developed OEDM-FS offers a robust and high-resolution sensing solution.
This technology significantly improves stress detection accuracy and spatial resolution for HCI.
The OEDM-FS shows great potential for secure and advanced HCI applications in smart home control systems.

Keywords:

high spatial resolution human‐computer interaction low threshold mechanoluminescence stress concentration