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Ultrasensitive, Highly Selective, Integrated Multidimensional Sensor Based on a Rigid-Flexible Synergistic Stretchable Substrate

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Abstract

High-performance wearable sensors that detect complex, multidimensional signals are indispensable in practical applications. Most existing sensors can only detect axial deformations or single stimuli, dramatically limiting their application fields. In this study, anisotropic strain and deformation-insensitive pressure sensors were effectively constructed based on a rigid-flexible synergistic stretchable substrate. Furthermore, we developed a three-dimensional integrated sensor with highly directional selective sensing through reasonable design and assembly. This integrated sensor recognizes the amplitude and direction of strain in the plane with a maximum gauge factor of 635 and an unprecedented selectivity of 13.99. Additionally, this device can also monitor the pressure outside the plane with a sensitivity of 0.277 kPa−1. We further investigated the working mechanism of sensor anisotropy and confirmed the application of the sensor in detecting complex multifreedom human joint movements. This research discovery provides new ideas and methods for developing multidimensional sensors, which is essential for broadening the application field of wearable electronic products.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Anhui Province Science and Technology Major Project (no. 202203A07020022). It was partially carried out at the USTC Center for Micro- and Nanoscale Research and Fabrication. The experiments with human subjects were performed with the consent of all participants. Furthermore, the results were published with the permission of all participants.

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Correspondence to Gang Zhao.

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Ma, C., Wang, M., Wang, K. et al. Ultrasensitive, Highly Selective, Integrated Multidimensional Sensor Based on a Rigid-Flexible Synergistic Stretchable Substrate. Adv. Fiber Mater. 5, 1392–1403 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-023-00274-8

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