Wearable Temperature Sensor with High Resolution for Skin Temperature Monitoring
Fan Li, Hua Xue, Xiuzhu Lin, Hongran Zhao, Tong Zhang
Abstract
Flexible temperature sensors with high resolution and good reliability under deformation are a major research focus for wearable electronic devices for skin temperature monitoring. In this study, a fiber-like temperature sensor is fabricated by in situ growing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) on the surface of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fiber. The temperature sensor achieves a high sensitivity of 0.95%·°C–1 with a high linearity between 20 and 40 °C. Most importantly, the sensor achieves a high temperature resolution of 0.2 °C. Due to its structure, the temperature-sensitive fiber is easily embedded into textiles. By sewing the fiber into normal textiles in an S-shape, the interference of strain can be nearly avoided, even when the textile is stretched to 140%. Also, the obtained sensors can monitor skin temperature during exercise, which demonstrates the potential of the sensor’s application in healthcare and disease diagnosis.