Gradient Cu/Ti3C2T x MXene-Coated Textile Pressure Sensor with High Sensitivity and a Wide Sensing Range

• Published in: ACS applied nano materials 2023-08, Vol.6 (15), p.14236-14244
• Main Authors: Bai, Yao-Yao, Zhang, Bin, Wu, Xu-Ping, Luo, Xue-Mei, Zhang, Guang-Ping
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2574-0970; 2574-0970
• DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.3c02155

As a fundamental component for health monitoring, human–machine interactions, and electronic skin, a flexible pressure sensor always faces the challenge of either a limited sensing range or inferior sensitivity. To overcome the trade-off between high sensitivity and a wide sensing range, here, we constructed a mass-gradient distribution of Cu onto a textile coated with Ti3C2T x nanosheets through an additive-assisted electrodeposition technique. The synergistic effects of the flexible and knitted structural textile substrate and the mass-gradient distribution of the as-deposited Cu gave a continuous change in not only the contact area but the conductivity of the contact points of the sensor under compressive loading. Thus, the sensor exhibited both a high sensitivity of up to 67.91 kPa–1 and a wide sensing range of 905 kPa, simultaneously. In addition, the sensor demonstrated excellent cycling stability after 1000 cyclic loadings, a fast response/recovery time of 30/50 ms, and excellent breathability, which endows it with wide applications, including monitoring human physiological signals, transmitting encrypted information, and distinguishing the spatial distribution of pressure in real time.