Track-Etch Membranes as Tools for Template Synthesis of Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensors
Yunbiao Zhao, Tiantong Wang, Ziqiang Zhao, Qining Wang
Abstract
Flexible pressure sensors with high sensitivity are highly desired in wearable electronics and human–machine interaction. Introducing the surface microstructures to the capacitive-type sensors can improve sensitivity and reduce response time. However, conventional techniques for the fabrication of highly sensitive and large-area pressure sensors still remain challenging. Here, a template synthesis approach is reported for fabrication of a large-area and low-cost ionic micropillar array templated from track-etch membranes. The pressure sensors based on the ionic micropillars gel dielectric layers exhibit a low limit of detection (∼0.5 Pa) and high sensitivity (14.83 kPa–1) in the low-pressure regime (0–5 kPa) and linear sensitivity (1.96 kPa–1) over a wide pressure range of 24–230 kPa. The versatility of the sensors is demonstrated in various human physiological signal detection scenarios and spatial pressure distribution. Furthermore, a real-time pressure mapping insole was fabricated on the basis of a large-area micropillared ionic gel dielectric layer combined with the screen-printing technique. The scalable and low-cost fabrication of pressure sensors with micropillars templated from a track-etch membrane provides new insights into the future development of health monitoring and human–machine interaction.