High performance PVC/ [AMI]mNTF2 ionic gel sensors for smart wearable applications

Plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel as an electroactive polymer material has attracted increasing interest for the construction of flexible devices with the integration of actuation and self-sensing. However, the insufficient sensing ability of traditional PVC gels limits their applications. In this paper, a PVC ionic gel sensor based on the physical blending of PVC gel and the ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium bisimide ([AMI]mNTF2) is presented. With the addition of ionic liquids, the PVC molecular chains and ions formed stable conductive pathways, resulting in increased conductivity and sensing performance of the PVC gel. The proposed sensor exhibits excellent sensing properties of high resolution (0.12 %) and fast response time (95 ms), along with high sensitivity (GF=27.8), which is more than seven times that of the traditional PVC gel. Furthermore, it was successfully utilized for human motion detection and remote control of a robotic hand, demonstrating the feasibility of the sensor for smart wearable applications in the future. [Display omitted] •A novel PVC ionic gel strain sensor.•The sensor has excellent response characteristics and sensitivity.•Its performance is more than eight times higher than that of the traditional PVC gel.•The sensor was successfully used for human motion detection and remote control of a robotic hand.