Compressible and
ultralight all-carbon materials are promising candidates for piezoresistive
pressure sensors. Although several fabrication methods have been developed,
the required elasticity and fatigue resistance of all-carbon materials
are yet to be satisfied as a result of energy loss and structure-derived
fatigue failure. Herein, we present a two-stage solvothermal freeze-casting
approach to fabricate all-carbon aerogel [modified graphene aerogel
(MGA)] with a multi-arched structure, which is enabled by the in-depth
solvothermal reduction of graphene oxide and unidirectional ice-crystal
growth. MGA exhibits supercompressibility and superelasticity, which
can resist an extreme compressive strain of 99% and maintain 93.4%
height retention after 100 000 cycles at the strain of 80%.
Rebound experiments reveal that MGA can rebound the ball (367 times
heavier than the aerogel) in 0.02 s with a very fast recovery speed
(∼615 mm s–1). Even if the mass ratio between
the ball and aerogel is increased to 1306, the ball can be rebound
in a relatively short time (0.04 s) with a fast recovery speed (∼535
mm s–1). As a result of its excellent mechanical
robustness and electrical conductivity, MGA presents a stable stress–current
response (10 000 cycles), tunable linear sensitivity (9.13–7.29
kPa–1), and low power consumption (4 mW). The MGA-based
wearable pressure sensor can monitor human physiological signals,
such as pulses, sound vibrations, and muscular movements, demonstrating
its potential practicability as a wearable device.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.