Wide-temperature-range pressure sensing by an aramid nanofibers/reduced graphene oxide flakes composite aerogel

[Display omitted] •ANFs/rGOFs composite aerogel is prepared via a controlled directional freezing.•The aerogel features with highly aligned 1D pore arrays in its 3D framework.•ANFs and rGOFs in the aerogel are composited by the interfacial hydrogen bonds.•The aerogel shows a high and reliable piezoresistive sensing performance.•The aerogel sensor is operative in a wide temperature range from −196 to 200 ℃. Aerogel-based conductive materials have emerged as a major candidate for piezoresistive pressure sensors due to their excellent mechanical and electrical performance besides light-weighted and low-cost characteristics, showing great potential for applications in electronic skins, biomedicine, robot controlling and intelligent recognition. However, it remains a grand challenge for these piezoresistive sensors to achieve a high sensitivity across a wide working temperature range. Herein, we report a highly flexible and ultra-light composite aerogel consisting of aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and reduced graphene oxide flakes (rGOFs) for application as a high-performance pressure sensing material in a wide temperature range. By controlling the orientations of pores in the composite framework, the aerogel promotes pressure transfer by aligning its conductive channels. As a result, the ANFs/rGOFs aerogel-based piezoresistive sensor exhibits a high sensitivity of up to 7.10 kPa−1, an excellent stability over 12,000 cycles, and an ultra-wide working temperature range from −196 to 200 °C. It is anticipated that the ANFs/rGOFs composite aerogel can be used as reliable sensing materials in extreme environments.