Ti₃C₂T_x MXene Paper-Based Wearable and Degradable Pressure Sensor for Human Motion Detection and Encrypted Information Transmission

Abstract

Paper-based flexible sensors are of great significance for promoting the development of green wearable electronic devices due to their good degradability and low cost. In this work, a paper-based wearable pressure sensor with a sandwich structure is proposed, which is assembled from a sensing layer printed with Ti3C2T x MXene ink, an interdigitated electrode printed in the same simple and economical way, and two polyethylene terephthalate films. The demonstrated paper-based pressure sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity in a wide pressure sensing range, as well as cyclic stability at a certain pressure. The sensor can be attached to the human body’s surface to monitor various pressure-related physical activities. Using a self-designed mobile phone APP, the special pressure signals collected from the sensor can be transmitted and translated, and an intelligent and encrypted information transmission system can be established. Since only ordinary printing paper and Ti3C2T x MXene ink are used, the pressure sensor is easy to prepare, economical, and environmentally friendly, and it can be degraded by stirring in water without generating electronic waste. It can be foreseen that the proposed sensor shows bright application potential in the sustainable development of healthcare and human–computer interaction fields.

Flexible and Breathable Piezoresistive Sensors Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide/Silk Fiber/Carbon Cloth Composites for Health Monitoring

“…12,13 However, despite notable progress in developing flexible piezoresistive sensors, 14−16 challenges persist in fabricating sensors with excellent overall performances that can fully meet the demands of wearable electronic devices, particularly regarding high sensitivity over a broad sensing range. 17−19 Furthermore, most traditional flexible piezoresistive sensors typically use polymers as substrates, such as poly-(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), 20,21 poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), 22,23 and polyurethane (PU). 24,25 Nevertheless, these substrates are unsuitable for long-term wear, potentially causing skin inflammation and itching due to poor air permeability, thereby limiting their application in human health monitoring.…”

“…Wearable electronic devices have garnered significant attention for their tremendous potential in enabling intelligent systems, , monitoring human physiological signals, , and contributing to the Internet of Things. , Flexible pressure/force sensors, − as vital components of wearable electronic devices, find wide applications across various fields, including human health monitoring, disease diagnosis, and motion detection. Among the diverse range of flexible pressure sensors, piezoresistive sensors have gained immense interest due to their ease of fabrication, efficient signal collection, stable mechanical–electrical properties, and high sensitivity. , However, despite notable progress in developing flexible piezoresistive sensors, − challenges persist in fabricating sensors with excellent overall performances that can fully meet the demands of wearable electronic devices, particularly regarding high sensitivity over a broad sensing range. − Furthermore, most traditional flexible piezoresistive sensors typically use polymers as substrates, such as poly­(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), , poly­(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), , and polyurethane (PU). , Nevertheless, these substrates are unsuitable for long-term wear, potentially causing skin inflammation and itching due to poor air permeability, thereby limiting their application in human health monitoring. Moreover, these elastic substrates are challenging to degrade, resulting in the rapid accumulation of electronic waste and posing a serious threat to the environment with the widespread use of wearable electronic products.…”

Flexible wide-range multidimensional force sensors inspired by bones embedded in muscle

“…In recent years, with the development of flexible electronics, flexible pressure sensors have shown great potential in motion monitoring 1 – 3 , human‒machine interaction (HMI) 4 – 6 , personalized medicine 7 – 9 , and soft intelligent robots 10 – 12 . Perceiving and detecting multidirectional mechanical stimuli is crucial for pressure sensing and can provide comprehensive, complete, and accurate information about pressure distributions and interactions to realize motion direction detection 13 , slip detection 14 , and grasp detection 15 .…”

All-Textile Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Based on 3D Knitted Fabric Electrode for Wearable Applications

“…Wearable flexible sensors have received a lot of attention due to their potential applications in energy harvesting, electronic skin, human–computer interaction, medical health, , and motion monitoring. , Wearable sensors are essential for wearable electronics. They can convert external mechanical actions into recognizable signals in real-time.…”