High-performance textile piezoelectric pressure sensor with novel structural hierarchy based on ZnO nanorods array for wearable application

With the increasing demand for smart wearable clothing, the textile piezoelectric pressure sensor (T-PEPS) that can harvest mechanical energy directly has attracted significant attention. However, the current challenge of T-PEPS lies in remaining the outstanding output performance without compromising its wearing comfort. Here, a novel structural hierarchy T-PEPS based on the single-crystalline ZnO nanorods are designed. The T-PEPS is constructed with three layers mode consisting of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, the top and bottom layers of conductive rGO polyester (PET) fabrics with self-orientation ZnO nanorods. As a result, the as-fabricated T-PEPS shows low detection limit up to 8.71 Pa, high output voltage to 11.47 V and superior mechanical stability. The sensitivity of the sensor is 0.62 V center dot kPa(-1) in the pressure range of 0-2.25 kPa. Meanwhile, the T-PEPS is employed to detect human movements such as bending/relaxation motion of the wrist, bending/stretching motion of each finger. It is demonstrated that the T-PEPS can be up-scaled to promote the application of wearable sensor platforms and self-powered devices.

Automated summary

The T-PEPS, a textile piezoelectric pressure sensor, has been designed with a novel structural hierarchy based on single-crystalline ZnO nanorods to maintain outstanding output performance while improving wearing comfort. It exhibits a low detection limit of 8.71 Pa, high output voltage up to 11.47 V, and superior mechanical stability, with a sensitivity of 0.62 V dot kPa(-1) in the pressure range of 0-2.25 kPa. The T-PEPS is capable of detecting human movements and can be scaled up for applications in wearable sensor platforms and self-powered devices.