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A Wearable Pressure Sensor Based on Ultra-violet/Ozone Microstructured Carbon Nanotube/ Polydimethylsiloxane Arrays for Electronic Skins.

Author
Abstract
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Pressure sensors with high performance (e.g., a broad pressure sensing range, high sensitivities, rapid response/relaxation speeds, temperature-stable sensing), as well as a cost-effective and highly efficient fabrication method are highly desired for electronic skins. In this research, a high-performance pressure sensor based on microstructured carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane arrays was fabricated using an ultra-violet/ozone (UV/O3) microengineering technique. The UV/O3 microengineering technique is controllable, cost-effective, and highly efficient since it is conducted at room temperature in an ambient environment. The pressure sensor offers a broad pressure sensing range (7 Pa - 50 kPa), a sensitivity of ~-0.101±0.005 kPa-1 (<1 kPa), a fast response/relaxation speed of ~10 ms, a small dependence on temperature variation, and a good cycling stability (>5000 cycles), which is attributed to the UV/O3 engineered microstructures that amplify and transfer external applied forces and rapidly store/release the energy during the PDMS deformation. The sensors developed show the capability to detect external forces and monitor human health conditions, promising for the potential applications in electronic skin.

Year of Publication
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2018
Journal
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Nanotechnology
Date Published
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2018
ISSN Number
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0957-4484
URL
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https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/aaa855
DOI
:
10.1088/1361-6528/aaa855
Short Title
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Nanotechnology
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