<i>In-situ</i> sugar-templated porous elastomer sensor with high sensitivity for wearables

doi:10.1007/s11706-022-0597-5

Front. Mater. Sci.

2022, Vol. 16

Issue (2) : 220597 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11706-022-0597-5

RESEARCH ARTICLE

In-situ sugar-templated porous elastomer sensor with high sensitivity for wearables

Meng REN¹, Ying FANG¹, Yufan ZHANG¹, Heli DENG¹, Desuo ZHANG^1,², Hong LIN¹, Yuyue CHEN¹(

), Jiaqing XIONG³(

)

¹. College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
². National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
³. Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China

Download: PDF(4929 KB) HTML
Export: BibTeX | EndNote | Reference Manager | ProCite | RefWorks

Abstract

Fabrication of elastic pressure sensors with low cost, high sensitivity, and mechanical durability is important for wearables, electronic skins and soft robotics. Here, we develop high-sensitivity porous elastomeric sensors for piezoresistive and capacitive pressure detection. Specifically, a porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sponge embedded with conductive fillers of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was fabricated by an in-situ sugar template strategy. The sensor demonstrates sensitive deformation to applied pressure, exhibiting large and fast response in resistance or capacitance for detection of a wide range of pressure (0‒5 kPa). PDMS, as a high-elasticity framework, enables creation of sensors with high sensitivity, excellent stability, and durability for long-term usage. The highest sensitivities of 22.1 and 68.3 kPa⁻¹ can be attained by devices with 5% CNTs and 4% rGO, respectively. The geometrics of the sponge sensor is tailorable using tableting technology for different applications. The sensors demonstrate finger motion detection and heart-rate monitoring in real-time, as well as a capacitive sensor array for identification of pressure and shape of placed objects, exhibiting good potential for wearables and human-machine interactions.

Keywords porous elastomer sugar template wearable pressure sensor graphene carbon nanotube

Corresponding Author(s): Yuyue CHEN,Jiaqing XIONG

About author: Miaojie Yang and Mahmood Brobbey Oppong contributed equally to this work.

Issue Date: 09 May 2022

Cite this article:

Meng REN,Ying FANG,Yufan ZHANG, et al. In-situ sugar-templated porous elastomer sensor with high sensitivity for wearables[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2022, 16(2): 220597.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/foms/EN/10.1007/s11706-022-0597-5
https://academic.hep.com.cn/foms/EN/Y2022/V16/I2/220597

Fig.1 Schematic fabrication of the porous CNT/PDMS and rGO/PDMS sponges as the wearable sensor.

Fig.2 Photographs and cross-sectional SEM images of the elastomer sponge sensors: (a) pure PDMS sponge; (b) CNT/PDMS sponge; (c) rGO/PDMS sponge.

Fig.3 Sensing performance of CNT/PDMS and rGO/PDMS sponges: (a) capacitance change of CNT/PDMS sponges with different doping amounts of CNTs upon pressing; (b) capacitance change of a CNT/PDMS sponge (5% CNTs) upon pressing and releasing; (c) capacitance response time of a CNT/PDMS sponge (5% CNTs); (d) resistance change of rGO/PDMS sponges with different doping amounts of rGO upon pressing; (e) resistance change of a rGO/PDMS sponge (4% rGO) upon pressing and releasing; (f) resistance response time of a rGO/PDMS sponge (4% rGO).

Fig.4 Cyclic stability of the CNT/PDMS capacitive sensor and the rGO/PDMS resistive sensor: (a) capacitance response of CNT/PDMS sponges to compressive deformation; (b) compressive durability of the CNT/PDMS capacitive sensor with 30% strain for 200 cycles; (c) compressive stress?strain curves of the CNT/PDMS sponge sensor; (d) resistance response of rGO/PDMS sponges to compressive deformation; (e) compressive durability of the rGO/PDMS resistive sensor with 30% strain for 200 cycles; (f) compressive stress?strain curves of the rGO/PDMS sponge sensor.

Fig.5 Wearable applications of the rGO/PDMS resistive sensor: (a) a sensor sheet attached to the finger joints; (b) current response to straightening of the fingers immediately after bending with different bending angles; (c) current response after a finger was bent for a period of time; (d) a sensor sheet attached to the wrist; (e) heartbeat frequency detection by the sensor; (f)(g)(h) the demonstration of resistance response of the rGO/PDMS sensor upon compression with different forces, in which it served as an electrode for lighting up LEDs (the LED hardly worked when no force was applied on the sensor (panel (f)); the LED started to work when the sensor was subjected to 2.5 kPa pressure (panel (g)); the LED lit well when the sensor was subjected to a pressure of 4.9 kPa (panel (h))).

Fig.6 Capacitance sensor array based on CNT/PDMS sponges: (a) schematic configuration of the flexible sensor array; (b) flexible capacitive sensor array; (c) flexible capacitive sensor unit; (d)(e)(f) capacitance response mappings of the sensor array upon being compressed by a mortar, a reaction kettle and the weights, respectively.

1	N Matsuhisa , M Kaltenbrunner , T Yokota . et al.. Printable elastic conductors with a high conductivity for electronic textile applications. Nature Communications, 2015, 6 : 7461 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8461
2	S Katsigiannis , N Ramzan . DREAMER: A database for emotion recognition through EEG and ECG signals from wireless low-cost off-the-shelf devices. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 2018, 22( 1): 98– 107 https://doi.org/10.1109/JBHI.2017.2688239
3	W Geng , Y Du , W Jin . et al.. Gesture recognition by instantaneous surface EMG images. Scientific Reports, 2016, 6( 1): 36571 https://doi.org/10.1038/srep36571
4	J Deignan , M Mcbrearty , J Monedero . et al.. Wearable chemical sensors: characterization of ECG electrodes with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Exercise, 2016, 277( 5693): 189– 192
5	J Xiong , J Chen , P S Lee . Functional fibers and fabrics for soft robotics, wearables, and human-robot interface. Advanced Materials, 2020, 33( 19): 2002640 https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202002640
6	J Kim , A S Campbell , Ávila B E de . et al.. Wearable biosensors for healthcare monitoring. Nature Biotechnology, 2019, 37( 4): 389– 406 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-019-0045-y
7	R C Webb , A P Bonifas , A Behnaz . et al.. Ultrathin conformal devices for precise and continuous thermal characterization of human skin. Nature Materials, 2013, 12( 10): 938– 944 https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3755
8	K I Jang , S Y Han , S Xu . et al.. Rugged and breathable forms of stretchable electronics with adherent composite substrates for transcutaneous monitoring. Nature Communications, 2014, 5( 1): 4779 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5779
9	A Miyamoto , S Lee , N F Cooray . et al.. Inflammation-free, gas-permeable, lightweight, stretchable on-skin electronics with nanomeshes. Nature Nanotechnology, 2017, 12( 9): 907– 913 https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2017.125
10	J Kim , G A Salvatore , H Araki . et al.. Battery-free, stretchable optoelectronic systems for wireless optical characterization of the skin. Science Advances, 2016, 2( 8): e1600418 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600418
11	J Xiong , P Cui , X Chen . et al.. Skin-touch-actuated textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator with black phosphorus for durable biomechanical energy harvesting. Nature Communications, 2018, 9( 1): 4280 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06759-0
12	J Xiong , M F Lin , J Wang . et al.. Wearable all-fabric-based triboelectric generator for water energy harvesting. Advanced Energy Materials, 2017, 7( 21): 1701243 https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201701243
13	Q Hua , J Sun , H Liu . et al.. Skin-inspired highly stretchable and conformable matrix networks for multifunctional sensing. Nature Communications, 2018, 9( 1): 244 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02685-9
14	J Kim , M Kim , M S Lee . et al.. Wearable smart sensor systems integrated on soft contact lenses for wireless ocular diagnostics. Nature Communications, 2017, 8( 1): 14997 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14997
15	N Lu , D H Kim . Flexible and stretchable electronics paving the way for soft robotics. Soft Robotics, 2014, 1( 1): 53– 62 https://doi.org/10.1089/soro.2013.0005
16	G Schwartz , B C K Tee , J Mei . et al.. Flexible polymer transistors with high pressure sensitivity for application in electronic skin and health monitoring. Nature Communications, 2013, 4( 1): 1859 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2832
17	C Wang , D Hwang , Z Yu . et al.. User-interactive electronic skin for instantaneous pressure visualization. Nature Materials, 2013, 12( 10): 899– 904 https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3711
18	C Wang , K Xia , M Zhang . et al.. An all-silk-derived dual-mode e-skin for simultaneous temperature–pressure detection. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2017, 9( 45): 39484– 39492 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b13356
19	Q Wang , M Jian , C Wang . et al.. Carbonized silk nanofiber membrane for transparent and sensitive electronic skin. Advanced Functional Materials, 2017, 27( 9): 1605657 https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201605657
20	D Gao , J Wang , K Ai . et al.. Inkjet-printed iontronics for transparent, elastic, and strain-insensitive touch sensing matrix. Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2020, 2( 7): 2000088 https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202000088
21	W Honda , S Harada , T Arie . et al.. Wearable, human-interactive, health-monitoring, wireless devices fabricated by macroscale printing techniques. Advanced Functional Materials, 2014, 24( 22): 3299– 3304 https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201303874
22	L Q Tao , H Tian , Y Liu . et al.. An intelligent artificial throat with sound-sensing ability based on laser induced graphene. Nature Communications, 2017, 8( 1): 14579 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14579
23	Y Li , Y A Samad , K Liao . From cotton to wearable pressure sensor. Journal of Materials Chemistry A: Materials for Energy and Sustainability, 2015, 3( 5): 2181– 2187 https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TA05810K
24	X Shi , Y Zuo , P Zhai . et al.. Large-area display textiles integrated with functional systems. Nature, 2021, 591( 7849): 240– 245 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03295-8
25	X Chen , K Parida , J Wang . et al.. A stretchable and transparent nanocomposite nanogenerator for self-powered physiological monitoring. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2017, 9( 48): 42200– 42209 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b13767
26	W Fan , Q He , K Meng . et al.. Machine-knitted washable sensor array textile for precise epidermal physiological signal monitoring. Science Advances, 2020, 6( 11): eaay2840 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aay2840
27	F Wu , S Chen , B Chen . et al.. Bioinspired universal flexible elastomer-based microchannels. Small, 2018, 14( 18): 1702170 https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201702170
28	C Dagdeviren , Y Su , P Joe . et al.. Conformable amplified lead zirconate titanate sensors with enhanced piezoelectric response for cutaneous pressure monitoring. Nature Communications, 2014, 5( 1): 4496 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5496
29	C Yan , J Wang , W Kang . et al.. Highly stretchable piezoresistive graphene-nanocellulose nanopaper for strain sensors. Advanced Materials, 2014, 26( 13): 2022– 2027 https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201304742
30	H Liu , M Y Dong , W J Huang . et al.. Lightweight conductive graphene/thermoplastic polyurethane foams with ultrahigh compressibility for piezoresistive sensing. Journal of Materials Chemistry C: Materials for Optical and Electronic Devices, 2017, 5( 1): 73– 83 https://doi.org/10.1039/C6TC03713E
31	S H Cho , S W Lee , S Yu . et al.. Micropatterned pyramidal ionic gels for sensing broad-range pressures with high sensitivity. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2017, 9( 11): 10128– 10135 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b00398
32	S C B Mannsfeld , B C K Tee , R M Stoltenberg . et al.. Highly sensitive flexible pressure sensors with microstructured rubber dielectric layers. Nature Materials, 2010, 9( 10): 859– 864 https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2834
33	J Li , L Fang , B Sun . et al.. Recent progress in flexible and stretchable piezoresistive sensors and their applications. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 2020, 167( 3): 037561 https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ab6828
34	S Gong , D T H Lai , B Su . et al.. Highly stretchy black gold e-skin nanopatches as highly sensitive wearable biomedical sensors. Advanced Electronic Materials, 2015, 1( 4): 1400063 https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.201400063
35	J Shi , X Li , H Cheng . et al.. Graphene reinforced carbon nanotube networks for wearable strain sensors. Advanced Functional Materials, 2016, 26( 13): 2078– 2084 https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201504804
36	M Jian , C Wang , Q Wang . et al.. Advanced carbon materials for flexible and wearable sensors. Science China Materials, 2017, 60( 11): 1026– 1062 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-017-9077-x
37	J Lee , S Kim , J Lee . et al.. A stretchable strain sensor based on a metal nanoparticle thin film for human motion detection. Nanoscale, 2014, 6( 20): 11932– 11939 https://doi.org/10.1039/C4NR03295K
38	C S Boland , U Khan , G Ryan . et al.. Sensitive electromechanical sensors using viscoelastic graphene–polymer nanocomposites. Science, 2016, 354( 6317): 1257– 1260 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aag2879
39	B C K Tee , A Chortos , R R Dunn . et al.. Tunable flexible pressure sensors using microstructured elastomer geometries for intuitive electronics. Advanced Functional Materials, 2014, 24( 34): 5427– 5434 https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201400712
40	H Wang , Z Xiang , P Giorgia . et al.. Triboelectric liquid volume sensor for self-powered lab-on-chip applications. Nano Energy, 2016, 23 : 80– 88 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2016.02.054
41	J Xiong , G Thangavel , J Wang . et al.. Self-healable sticky porous elastomer for gas–solid interacted power generation. Science Advances, 2020, 6( 29): eabb4246 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abb4246
42	B Sun , R N McCay , S Goswami . et al.. Gas-permeable, multifuncationl on-skin electronics based on laser-induced porous graphene and sugar-templated ealstomer sponges. Advanced Materials, 2018, 30( 50): 1804327 https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201804327
43	S Miller , Z Bao . Fabrication of flexible pressure sensors with microstructured polydimethylsiloxane dielectrics using the breath figures method. Journal of Materials Research, 2015, 30( 23): 3584– 3594 https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2015.334
44	Z Deng , T Hu , Q Lei . et al.. Stimuli-responsive conductive nanocomposite hydrogels with high stretchability, self-healing, adhesiveness, and 3D printability for human motion sensing. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2019, 11( 7): 6796– 6808 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b20178
45	L Zhang , L Liu , C Liu . et al.. Photolithographic fabrication of graphene-based all-solid-state planar on-chip microsupercapacitors with ultrahigh power characteristics. Journal of Applied Physics, 2019, 126( 16): 164308 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5109691
46	P Tyagi , R Chaturvedi , N R Gorhe . Macroporous poly(vinyl chloride)-polypyrrole composites with piezoresistive behaviour. Materials Letters, 2020, 280 : 128566 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2020.128566
47	S Wu , J Zhang , R B Ladani . et al.. Novel electrically conductive porous PDMS/carbon nanofiber composites for deformable strain sensors and conductors. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2017, 9( 16): 14207– 14215 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b00847
48	Y Kim , S Jang , J H Oh . Fabrication of highly sensitive capacitive pressure sensors with porous PDMS dielectric layer via microwave treatment. Microelectronic Engineering, 2019, 215 : 111002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2019.111002
49	S Kang , J Lee , S Lee . et al.. Highly sensitive pressure sensor based on bioinspired porous structure for real-time tactile sensing. Advanced Electronic Materials, 2016, 2( 12): 1600356 https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.201600356
50	Y Long , X Zhao , X Jiang . et al.. A porous graphene/polydimethylsiloxane composite by chemical foaming for simultaneous tensile and compressive strain sensing. FlatChem, 2018, 10 : 1– 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flatc.2018.07.001
51	Q Li , T Duan , J Shao . et al.. Fabrication method for structured porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Journal of Materials Science, 2018, 53( 16): 11873– 11882 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-2396-z
52	Y P Mamunya , Y V Muzychenko , P Pissis . et al.. Percolation phenomena in polymers containing dispersed iron. Polymer Engineering and Science, 2002, 42( 1): 90– 100 https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.10930
53	H Kou , L Zhang , Q Tan . et al.. Wireless flexible pressure sensor based on micro-patterned graphene/PDMS composite. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2018, 277 : 150– 156 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2018.05.015
54	Y Al-Handarish , O M Omisore , W Duan . et al.. Facile fabrication of 3D porous sponges coated with synergistic carbon black/multiwalled carbon nanotubes for tactile sensing applications. Nanomaterials, 2020, 10( 10): 1941 https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10101941
55	S W Park , P S Das , J Y Park . Development of wearable and flexible insole type capacitive pressure sensor for continuous gait signal analysis. Organic Electronics, 2018, 53 : 213– 220 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2017.11.033
56	X Tang , C Wu , L Gan . et al.. Multilevel microstructured flexible pressure sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity and ultrawide pressure range for versatile electronic skins. Small, 2019, 15( 10): 1804559 https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201804559

[1]	Wenjing Li, Ni Wu, Sai Che, Li Sun, Hongchen Liu, Guang Ma, Ye Wang, Chong Xu, Yongfeng Li. Polyurethane foam-supported three-dimensional interconnected graphene nanosheets network encapsulated in polydimethylsiloxane to achieve significant thermal conductivity enhancement[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2023, 17(3): 230653-.
[2]	Mingliang Zhu, Hongwei Li, Ruixia Yuan, Huijuan Qian, Huaiyuan Wang. Synergistic effect of diethylene triamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid) and graphene oxide barrier on anti-scaling and anti-corrosion performance of superhydrophobic coatings[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2023, 17(3): 230650-.
[3]	Jing-Ye Tee, Fong-Lee Ng, Fiona Seh-Lin Keng, G. Gnana kumar, Siew-Moi Phang. Microbial reduction of graphene oxide and its application in microbial fuel cells and biophotovoltaics[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2023, 17(2): 230642-.
[4]	Liping Xiong, Xiaoya Sun, Qi Chen, Mengyue Zhu, Zhongyi He, Lili Li. Tribochemistry of alcohols and their tribological properties: a review[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2023, 17(1): 230633-.
[5]	Senrong QIAO, Huijun LI, Xiaoqin CHENG, Dongyu BIAN, Xiaomin WANG. Bi/3DPG composite structure optimization realizes high specific capacity and rapid sodium-ion storage[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2022, 16(2): 220605-.
[6]	Sachin Sharma Ashok KUMAR, Shahid BASHIR, Kasi RAMESH, Subramaniam RAMESH. Why is graphene an extraordinary material? A review based on a decade of research[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2022, 16(2): 220603-.
[7]	Dong XIANG, Libing LIU, Xiaoyu CHEN, Yuanpeng WU, Menghan WANG, Jie ZHANG, Chunxia ZHAO, Hui LI, Zhenyu LI, Ping WANG, Yuntao LI. High-performance fiber strain sensor of carbon nanotube/thermoplastic polyurethane@styrene butadiene styrene with a double percolated structure[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2022, 16(1): 220586-.
[8]	Xia HE, Qingchun LIU, Ying ZHOU, Zhan CHEN, Chenlu ZHU, Wanhui JIN. Graphene oxide-silver/cotton fiber fabric with anti-bacterial and anti-UV properties for wearable gas sensors[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2021, 15(3): 406-415.
[9]	Yishan WANG, Xueqian ZHANG, Fanpeng MENG, Guangwu WEN. Stabilizing Co₃O₄ nanorods/N-doped graphene as advanced anode for lithium-ion batteries[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2021, 15(2): 216-226.
[10]	Jinlong SU, Jie TENG. Recent progress in graphene-reinforced aluminum matrix composites[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2021, 15(1): 79-97.
[11]	Shalmali BASU, Kamalika SEN. A review on graphene-based materials as versatile cancer biomarker sensors[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2020, 14(4): 353-372.
[12]	Zhenxiao LU, Wenxian WANG, Jun ZHOU, Zhongchao BAI. FeS₂@C nanorods embedded in three-dimensional graphene as high-performance anode for sodium-ion batteries[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2020, 14(3): 255-265.
[13]	Kun YANG, Jinghuan TIAN, Wei QU, Bo LUAN, Ke LIU, Jun LIU, Likui WANG, Junhui JI, Wei ZHANG. Host-mediated biofilm forming promotes post-graphene pathogen expansion via graphene micron-sheet[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2020, 14(2): 221-231.
[14]	Huan-Yan XU, Dan LU, Xu HAN. Graphene-induced enhanced anticorrosion performance of waterborne epoxy resin coating[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2020, 14(2): 211-220.
[15]	Yun ZHAO, Linan YANG, Canliang MA. One-step gas-phase construction of carbon-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle/carbon nanotube composite with enhanced electrochemical energy storage[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2020, 14(2): 145-154.

Viewed

Full text

Abstract

Cited

Shared

Discussed