Sensitive, Stretchable, and Breathable Pressure Sensors Based on Medical Gauze Integrated with Silver Nanowires and Elastomers

Driven by the increasing demand for intelligent wearable electronics, pressure sensors have attracted substantial research interest. However, a pressure sensor that possesses both high sensitivity and wearable comfort for practical application in daily activities is still lacking. Herein, we design a fabric-elastomer hybrid pressure sensor that achieves a balance between sensing performance and comfort. In this well-designed sensor, medical gauze coated with silver nanowires acts as substrate to improve the comfort of the sensor, and an elastomer acts as an active sensing element to enhance the sensitivity of the sensor. The sensor exhibits exciting sensing performance, including a high sensitivity (58 kPa(-1), 0-0.5 kPa), long-term endurance (>27 500 cycles), a faster response speed (<27 ms), and an ultralow limit of detection (2.7 Pa). Additionally, by adopting a prestretchable medical bandage as the substrate, the resulting sensor is insensitive to tensile strain and can accurately detect pressure stimuli under complex conditions. Then, we verify the application of the sensor in different scenarios, such as sensing tiny objects, monitoring human physiological information, and recognizing body motion. Additionally, we integrate a 4 x 4 sensor array for spatial information monitoring to provide a proof of concept for future wearable electronics, especially intelligent medical diagnostic systems.

Automated summary

A fabric-elastomer hybrid pressure sensor has been designed to achieve a balance between sensing performance and comfort, with high sensitivity, long-term endurance, and fast response speed. The sensor, using a medical bandage as a substrate, can accurately detect pressure stimuli under complex conditions and has been successfully applied in various scenarios.