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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Hybrid Printing for the Fabrication of Smart Sensors
Published on: January 31, 2019
Feed-Draw Printing Enables Monolithically Integrated Flexible Sensors With High Interfacial Toughness and Wide Linear
Xingxiang Li1, Ziqi Hua1, Yuxuan Sun1
1Institute of Humanoid Robots, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Abstract:
Flexible sensors are essential for wearable electronics and robotic perception, yet their practical deployment is fundamentally constrained by the compromise between sensing sensitivity and mechanical durability, as well as the deficiency in achieving robust integration with other functional components. Here, we report a monolithic microcone capacitive sensor (MMCS) fabricated via a feed-draw printing (FDP) strategy, which enables the direct fabrication of programmable microcone morphologies and in situ co-curing across dielectric and electrode layers. This strategy generates continuous, covalently interlinked interfaces with interfacial toughness of up to 1 547 J m-2, representing 3.97 times that of existing microcone counterparts. As a result, the MMCS exhibits outstanding durability, maintaining stable performance over 200 000 loading cycles. Meanwhile, the programmable microcone morphology offers on-demand sensitivity tuning (reaching 0.29 kPa-1), achieving a low limit of detection of 1 Pa and a wide measurement range from 0 to 450 kPa. Furthermore, the MMCS is monolithically printed into wearable bands for sports analytics, and within magnetic soft grippers for grasping perception. This work establishes a generalizable route for covalently bonded, sensitivity-enhanced, and functionally integrated soft sensors, paving the way for high-performance practical wearable and robotic interfaces.

