Wide-Range, Washable Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Based on MCNT-PDMS Dip-Coated PDMS Sponge

Abstract

Flexible pressure sensors have great potential for wearable applications such as human health monitoring and human–computer interaction, which require different trade-offs between the sensitivity and operating range. However, preparing washable and wide-range piezoresistive pressure sensors remains a great challenge. Here, we developed a porous flexible elastomer sponge based on a carbon nanotube composite network coating for pressure sensors with extremely high stability and washability over a wide range. Specifically, a sugar template was used to fabricate a homogeneous macroporous PDMS sponge as a substrate, and a dip-coated MCNT-PDMS composite was used as a conductive layer. The high degree of adhesion formed between the substrate and the conductive layer resulted in a sponge with greatly enhanced mechanical properties and stability, while improving the operating range. The pressure sensors exhibited a broad operating range of 0–650 kPa, demonstrating excellent sensitivity (0.0049 kPa−1 in the range of 0–74 kPa, 0.0010 kPa−1 in the range of 74–310 kPa, and 0.0004 kPa−1 in the range of 310–650 kPa), as well as a fast response time of 143 ms and recovery time of 73 ms, long-term cycling stability of over 10,000 cycles, and excellent washable stability. Finally, we demonstrate that the sensors can be applied to gesture monitoring, human motion gait monitoring, and cycling pressure monitoring.