Paper-based sensors have many distinguishing
advantages; however,
how to improve their working durability especially under water is
a critical issue in many applications and unfortunately remains a
huge challenge. In this work, we design and develop an innovative
strategy enabling paper-based strain and pressure sensors to work
under water with exceptional long-term working durability by biomimetic
reassembling of nanomaterials from natural wood. A composite paper
consisting of softwood fibers and 22 wt % graphite nanoplates was
prepared based on a papermaking protocol. Cellulose nanofibers were
added to strengthen the composite paper, and lignin nanoparticles
were applied onto the paper surface via the paper
coating technology to obtain its superhydrophobicity. Subsequently,
the as-obtained superhydrophobic composite paper was assembled into
a flexible sensor that can be used to detect strain and pressure changes
both in air and under water. As the strain sensor, its gauge factor
was 10.9 and 14.6 in air and under water, and the corresponding response
time was 0.3 and 0.15 s, respectively. Surprisingly, an exceptional
working stability was achieved even after more than 10,000 bending–unbending
cycles under water. As the pressure sensor, its sensitivity (S) was 0.02 and 0.38 kPa–1 in air and
under water, and the corresponding response time was 0.46 and 0.3
s, respectively. Its long-term durability can also exceed 10,000 pressing–releasing
cycles. This novel strategy developed in this work can be an effective
approach for biomimetic re-engineering of biomass-derived nanomaterials,
aiming to develop highly stable paper-based flexible sensors that
can find applications in wearable systems and underwater equipment.