Open AccessInterfacially Locked Metal Aerogel Inside Porous Polymer Composite for Sensitive and Durable Flexible Piezoresistive Sensors
Author(s) -
Li Jian,
Li Ning,
Zheng Yuanyuan,
Lou Dongyang,
Jiang Yue,
Jiang Jiaxi,
Xu Qunhui,
Yang Jing,
Sun Yujing,
Pan Chuxuan,
Wang Jianlan,
Peng Zhengchun,
Zheng Zhikun,
Liu Wei
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.202201912
Subject(s) - materials science , piezoresistive effect , durability , aerogel , nanotechnology , pressure sensor , polydimethylsiloxane , composite number , layer (electronics) , composite material , mechanical engineering , engineering
Flexible pressure sensors play significant roles in wearable devices, electronic skins, and human‐machine interface (HMI). However, it remains challenging to develop flexible piezoresistive sensors with outstanding comprehensive performances, especially with excellent long‐term durability. Herein, a facile “interfacial locking strategy” has been developed to fabricate metal aerogel‐based pressure sensors with excellent sensitivity and prominent stability. The strategy broke the bottleneck of the intrinsically poor mechanical properties of metal aerogels by grafting them on highly elastic melamine sponge with the help of a thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer as the interface‐reinforcing media. The hierarchically porous conductive structure of the ensemble offered the as‐prepared flexible piezoresistive sensor with a sensitivity as high as 12 kPa −1 , a response time as fast as 85 ms, and a prominent durability over 23 000 compression cycles. The excellent comprehensive performance enables the successful application of the flexible piezoresistive sensor as two‐dimensional (2D) array device as well as three‐dimensional (3D) force‐detecting device for real‐time monitoring of HMI activities.