Bioinspired Flexible and Highly Responsive Dual-Mode Strain/Magnetism Composite Sensor

The mimicry of human skin to detect both oncoming and physical contacting object is of great importance in the fields of manufacturing, artificial robots and Carbon fiber vehicles, etc. Herein, a novel bioinspired flexible and highly responsive dual-mode strain/Silicone matrix magnetism composite sensor, which works via both contact and contactless modes, is first Electrode fabricated by incorporating Fe3O4/silicone system into a carbon fiber aerogel (CFA). The distance dependence of magnetic field endorses the CFA/Fe3O4/silicone composite possible for spatial sensing due to the introduction of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles. As a result, the as-prepared flexible sensor exhibits precise and real-time response not only to direct-contact compression as usual but also to contactless magnetic field in a wide frequency range from 0.1 to 10 Hz, achieving the maximum variance of 68% and 86% in relative electrical resistance, respectively. The contact and contactless sensing modes of the strain/magnetism sensor are clearly demonstrated by recording the speeds of bicycle riding ARM and walking, respectively. Interestingly, this dual-mode composite sensor exhibits the capacity of identifying the contact and contactless state, which is the first report for flexible sensors. The current protocol is eco-friendly, facile, and thought-provoking for the fabrication of multifunctional sensors.