Bio-compatible piezoelectric material based wearable pressure sensor for smart textiles

Abstract

With the rapid advancement of flexible wearable technology, bio-compatible textile piezoelectric pressure sensors are a promising candidates for next-generation sensing platforms to monitor human health. Smart textiles can be easily incorporated into our daily wear clothing in a breathable and conformable manner. In this study, a novel structural hierarchy consisting of a piezoelectric composite film Glycine - Chitosan (GC) sandwiched between two Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods patterned conductive textile electrodes was developed. A low temperature hydrothermal method was used to grow ZnO nanorods directly on the conductive fabric, and a simple solvent casting technique was employed to form a Glycine-Chitosan film. SEM and XRD analyses were performed to investigate the growth of the bio-compatible piezoelectric materials. Under periodic deformation, the fabricated sensor exhibited a good piezoelectric response over a wide range of sensing pressures. The use of non-toxic, bio-compatible piezoelectric materials in the development of textile pressure sensors paves the way for the development of eco-friendly wearables.

Variable Stiffness Flexible Wearable Pressure Sensors with Dual-Mode Switching Sensitivity and Working Pressure Range

“…Flexible pressure sensors can convert external pressure changes into electrical signals, and they are widely used in various fields such as medical healthcare monitoring devices, medical diagnostic tools, human–machine interaction, and wearable electronic devices. − Pressure sensors can generally be divided into four types: piezoelectric, − friction, − capacitive, − and resistive. − Among them, resistive pressure sensors can convert pressure into resistance signals and are considered promising candidates due to their simplicity, low cost, and fast response time. Optimizing the pressure sensing capability of resistive sensors has always been a hot research topic.…”