Breathable Strain/Temperature Sensor Based on Fibrous Networks of Ionogels Capable of Monitoring Human Motion, Respiration, and Proximity

Wearable strain and temperature sensors are desired for human-machine interfaces, health monitoring, and human motion monitoring. Herein, the fibrous mat with aligned nanofibers of ionic liquid (IL)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) ionogels is fabricated via an electrospinning technique. The resultant fibrous mat is cut into a rectangle specimen and electrodes are loaded along the direction perpendicular to the nanofiber orientation to design a high-performance multimodal sensor based on an ionic conducting mechanism. As a strain sensor, the obtained sensor exhibits a wide strain working range (0-200%), a fast response and recovery (119 ms), a low detection limit (0.1%), and good reproducibility because of the reversible and deformable ionic conductive pathways of the sensor. Moreover, the sensor also exhibits excellent temperature-sensing behaviors, including a monotonic thermal response, high sensitivity (2.75% degrees C-1), high accuracy (0.1 degrees C), a fast response time (2.46 s), and remarkable repeatability, attributable to the negative temperature coefficient behavior of the IL/TPU fibrous mat. More interestingly, the IL/TPU fibrous sensor possesses good breathability, which is desired for wearable electronics. Because of these excellent sensing capabilities in strain and temperature, the sensor can not only monitor tiny and large human motions but also detect respiration and proximity, exhibiting enormous potential in wearable electronics.

Automated summary

In this study, fibrous mats with IL/TPU ionogels were fabricated using electrospinning technique to develop a high-performance multimodal sensor for strain and temperature sensing. The sensor exhibited wide strain working range, fast response and recovery, low detection limit, high sensitivity, and good breathability. These excellent sensing capabilities make the sensor ideal for monitoring human motions, respiration, and proximity in wearable electronics.