Nonlinearity synergy: An elegant strategy for realizing high-sensitivity and wide-linear-range pressure sensing

• Published in: Nature communications 2023-10, Vol.14 (1), p.6641-6641, Article 6641
• Main Authors: Chen, Rui, Luo, Tao, Wang, Jincheng, Wang, Renpeng, Zhang, Chen, Xie, Yu, Qin, Lifeng, Yao, Haimin, Zhou, Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/166/987; 639/166/988; Elasticity; Elastomers; Flexible components; Humanities and Social Sciences; Linearity; Man-machine interfaces; multidisciplinary; Nonlinear systems; Nonlinearity; Piezoresistivity; Pressure; Pressure sensors; Robotics; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sensitivity; Sensors; Stiffness; Wearable computers; Wearable technology
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42361-9

Flexible pressure sensors are indispensable components in various applications such as intelligent robots and wearable devices, whereas developing flexible pressure sensors with both high sensitivity and wide linear range remains a great challenge. Here, we present an elegant strategy to address this challenge by taking advantage of a pyramidal carbon foam array as the sensing layer and an elastomer spacer as the stiffness regulator, realizing an unprecedentedly high sensitivity of 24.6 kPa −1 and an ultra-wide linear range of 1.4 MPa together. Such a wide range of linearity is attributed to the synergy between the nonlinear piezoresistivity of the sensing layer and the nonlinear elasticity of the stiffness regulator. The great application potential of our sensor in robotic manipulation, healthcare monitoring, and human-machine interface is demonstrated. Our design strategy can be extended to the other types of flexible sensors calling for both high sensitivity and wide-range linearity, facilitating the development of high-performance flexible pressure sensors for intelligent robotics and wearable devices. The development of flexible pressure sensors with a wide linear range and high sensitivity is challenging. Chen et al. demonstrate a sensor for robotics and wearable devices, using nonlinear elasticity of an elastic spacer as a stiffness regulator and a microstructured sensing layer with non-linear piezoresistivity.