Flexible pressure sensor with wide pressure range based on 3D microporous PDMS/MWCNTs for human motion detection

Introducing microstructure in the flexible pressure sensors is an effective strategy to enhance the performance of the sensor. Herein, we fabricated a flexible pressure sensor with three-dimensional (3D) miroporous based on a hybrid of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The 3D microporous was produced by a facile and low-cost process using NH4HCO3 as a sacrificial template, the NH4HCO3 particles were decomposed to gas and left microporous in the hybrid of PDMS and MWCNTs. The microporous structure inside the sensor allowed for a wide pressure range (~140 kPa). The sensor could detect large motions of finger, wrist, elbow, knee, and even small motion such as facial expression. In addition, a 3 × 3 tactile sensor array was successfully applied in the pressure distribution of fingers to grasp a cup. Results demonstrate the sensor is promising to application in wearable electronics and human-machine interfaces for pressure sensing. [Display omitted] •Using NH4HCO3 as a sacrificial template to fabricate flexible pressure sensors based on polydimethylsiloxane/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PDMS/MWCNTs) with three-dimensional (3D) microporous.•Optimized the performance of the flexible pressure sensor by controlling the size and density of the microporous.•The flexible pressure sensor has a wide pressure detection range over ∼140 kPa, which can cover the pressure range of monitoring human body pressure (10–100 kPa).