Carbon Black from Diesel Soot for High-Performance Wearable Pressure Sensors

The rational design of high-performance flexible pressure sensors with both high sensitivity and large workable range attracts great attentions due to the potential applications in wearable electronics and human-machine interfaces. Here, carbon black (CB) from diesel soot, an air pollutant produced during incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, is used as the active material to construct high-performance flexible all-textile pressure sensors. Due to the unique hierarchical structures and large surface roughness of the CB-coated fabric, the pressure sensor exhibits outstanding performances, such as high sensitivity (81.61 kPa(-1) within the range of 0-10 kPa), extrawide workable pressure regime (0-100 kPa), and rapid response and relaxation time (6 and 30 ms, respectively). Based on these superior sensing properties, its practical applications are demonstrated in detecting the signals of musical sound and of human physiology, showing its potential for health monitoring as wearable electronics.