Co@N-CNT/MXenes in situ grown on carbon nanotube film for multifunctional sensors and flexible supercapacitors

The rapid development of human-machine interfaces and artificial intelligence is dependent on flexible and wearable soft devices such as sensors and energy storage systems. One of the key factors for these devices is the design of a flexible electrode with high sensitivity, fast response time, and a wide working range. Here, we report the fabrication of strain sensors and all-solid-state flexible supercapacitors using Co@N-CNT/MXenes as an electrode material. The manufactured sensor shows a high tensile range (strain up to 200%) and high stability. The resistance change caused by the fingers touching the sensor can be used to transmit the Morse code information. Flexible supercapacitors serving as power supply demonstrate excellent cycling stability (85 000 cycles) and coulombic efficiency (99.7%) for their high surface area and pseudocapacitance. A self-powered integrated system composed of the strain sensor and flexible supercapacitor is fabricated and operates stably in a wide strain sensing test range. Moreover, the flexible solar-charging self-powered integrated system could be attached to the human body for stable human motion detection. This study clearly shows that appropriate selection of a single functional material to enable it to be used in multi-functional sensors and supercapacitors can simplify the process and reduce the cost of manufacturing wearable devices.

Automated summary

This study presents the fabrication of strain sensors and all-solid-state flexible supercapacitors using Co@N-CNT/MXenes as an electrode material, with the sensor showing high tensile range and stability for Morse code transmission and the supercapacitor demonstrating excellent cycling stability and coulombic efficiency. The integrated system composed of the sensor and supercapacitor operates stably in a wide strain sensing test range and can be attached to the human body for stable human motion detection, highlighting the potential for simplifying the process and reducing the cost of manufacturing wearable devices through the appropriate selection of single functional materials.