High-Performance Flexible Piezoresistive Sensors Based on Covalently Anchored Polypyrrole Networks on Electrospun...

Flexible piezoresistive sensors are highly desirable for wearable health monitoring, yet balancing ultrahigh sensitivity and wide pressure detection range is a major bottleneck restricting their applications in electronic skin and soft robots. This work constructs a hierarchical piezoresistive sensor through a simple three-step fabrication: electrospinning PVDF/PAN fiber networks, polydopamine (PDA) surface modification, and in situ polypyrrole (PPy) polymerization for conductive sensing layers. As a dual-function interlayer, PDA forms hydrogen and covalent bonds with PPy to yield uniform, firm conductive coatings. The link between PPy morphology and sensing performance is clarified by regulating polymerization parameters. At a pyrrole concentration of 3 g/L, the optimized sensor achieves a high sensitivity of 220.88 kPa^-1 (0-10 kPa) and stable linear signals up to 1 MPa, with superior cycling durability over 5000 cycles and good biocompatibility. This scalable fabrication resolves the sensitivity-range tradeoff, promising wearable medical monitoring and human-machine interaction devices.