Bio-compatible piezoelectric material based wearable pressure sensor for smart textiles

• Published in: Smart materials and structures 2022-12, Vol.31 (12), p.125015
• Main Authors: J, Abanah Shirley, S, Esther Florence, B S, Sreeja, Sankararajan, Radha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: bio-compatible piezoelectric materials; conductive fabric; glycine–chitosan composite; textile pressure sensor; ZnO nanorods
• ISSN: 0964-1726; 1361-665X
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-665X/ac9ffa

With the rapid advancement of flexible wearable technology, bio-compatible textile piezoelectric pressure sensors are a promising candidates for next-generation sensing platforms to monitor human health. Smart textiles can be easily incorporated into our daily wear clothing in a breathable and conformable manner. In this study, a novel structural hierarchy consisting of a piezoelectric composite film Glycine–Chitosan (GC) sandwiched between two Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods patterned conductive textile electrodes was developed. A low temperature hydrothermal method was used to grow ZnO nanorods directly on the conductive fabric, and a simple solvent casting technique was employed to form a GC film. Scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analyses were performed to investigate the growth of the bio-compatible piezoelectric materials. Under periodic deformation, the fabricated sensor exhibited a good piezoelectric response over a wide range of sensing pressures. The use of non-toxic, bio-compatible piezoelectric materials in the development of textile pressure sensors paves the way for the development of eco-friendly wearables.