基于微结构的柔性压力传感器设计、制备及性能

随着科技的快速发展,电子皮肤和柔性可穿戴设备由于在人体运动、健康监测、智能机器人等领域具有重要应用而引起了人们广泛的关注。传统的基于贵金属或金属氧化物半导体的压力传感器成本高、柔韧性差,而新型的基于微结构的柔性压力传感器具有灵敏度高、应变范围宽、低成本、低功耗、响应速度快等优势,在电子皮肤和柔性可穿戴设备等方面发挥重要作用,成为当前柔性电子材料与器件主要研究热点之一。本文系统总结了近年来颇受关注的基于金字塔形、微球形、微柱形、仿生结构、褶皱等不同柔性基底微结构和多孔导电聚合物材料的柔性压力传感器在材料选择、结构设计、制备方法、传感性能等方面取得的重要进展,并对柔性压力传感器的未来发展进行了展望。     

Ultraflexible Near‐Infrared Organic Photodetectors for Conformal Photoplethysmogram Sensors

Flexible organic optoelectronic devices simultaneously targeting mechanical conformability and fast responsivity in the near‐infrared (IR) region are a prerequisite to expand the capabilities of practical optical science and engineering for on‐skin optoelectronic applications. Here, an ultraflexible near‐IR responsive skin‐conformal photoplethysmogram sensor based on a bulk heterojunction photovoltaic active layer containing regioregular polyindacenodithiophene‐pyridyl[2,1,3]thiadiazole‐cyclopentadithiophene (PIPCP) is reported. The ultrathin (3 µm thick) photodetector exhibits unprecedented operational stability under severe mechanical deformation at a bending radius of less than 3 µm, even after more than 10³ bending cycles. Deliberate optimization of the physical dimensions of the active layer used in the device enables precise on/off switching and high device yield simultaneously. The response frequency over 1 kHz under mechanically deformed conditions facilitates conformal electronic sensors at the machine/human interface. Finally, a mechanically stretchable, flexible, and skin‐conformal photoplethysmogram (PPG) device with higher sensitivity than those of rigid devices is demonstrated, through conformal adherence to the flexuous surface of a fingerprint.     

Ionic‐Liquid Doping Enables High Transconductance,Fast Response Time,and High Ion Sensitivity in Organic Electrochemical Transistors

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are highly attractive for applications ranging from circuit elements and neuromorphic devices to transducers for biological sensing, and the archetypal channel material is poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate), PEDOT:PSS. The operation of OECTs involves the doping and dedoping of a conjugated polymer due to ion intercalation under the application of a gate voltage. However, the challenge is the trade‐off in morphology for mixed conduction since good electronic charge transport requires a high degree of ordering among PEDOT chains, while efficient ion uptake and volumetric doping necessitates open and loose packing of the polymer chains. Ionic‐liquid‐doped PEDOT:PSS that overcomes this limitation is demonstrated. Ionic‐liquid‐doped OECTs show high transconductance, fast transient response, and high device stability over 3600 switching cycles. The OECTs are further capable of having good ion sensitivity and robust toward physical deformation. These findings pave the way for higher performance bioelectronics and flexible/wearable electronics.     

Extraordinarily Stretchable All‐Carbon Collaborative Nanoarchitectures for Epidermal Sensors

Multifunctional microelectronic components featuring large stretchability, high sensitivity, high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), and broad sensing range have attracted a huge surge of interest with the fast developing epidermal electronic systems. Here, the epidermal sensors based on all‐carbon collaborative percolation network are demonstrated, which consist 3D graphene foam and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) obtained by two‐step chemical vapor deposition processes. The nanoscaled CNT networks largely enhance the stretchability and SNR of the 3D microarchitectural graphene foams, endowing the strain sensor with a gauge factor as high as 35, a wide reliable sensing range up to 85%, and excellent cyclic stability (>5000 cycles). The flexible and reversible strain sensor can be easily mounted on human skin as a wearable electronic device for real‐time and high accuracy detecting of electrophysiological stimuli and even for acoustic vibration recognition. The rationally designed all‐carbon nanoarchitectures are scalable, low cost, and promising in practical applications requiring extraordinary stretchability and ultrahigh SNRs.     

Self‐Powered Multifunctional Transient Bioelectronics

Controllable degradation and excellent biocompatibility during/after a lifetime endow emerging transient electronics with special superiority in implantable biomedical applications. Currently, most of these devices need external power sources, limiting their real‐world utilizations. Optimizing existing bioresorbable electronic devices requires natural‐material‐based construction and, more importantly, diverse or even all‐in‐one multifunctionalization. Herein, silk‐based implantable, biodegradable, and multifunctional systems, self‐powered with transient triboelectric nanogenerators (T²ENGs), for real‐time in vivo monitoring and therapeutic treatments of epileptic seizures, are reported. These T²ENGs are of customizable in vitro/in vivo operating life and biomechanical sensitivity via the adjustments of silk molecular size, surface structuralization, and device configuration. Functions, such as drug delivery and structural‐integrity optical readout (parallel to electronic signals), are enabled for localized anti‐infection and noninvasive degradation indication, respectively. A proof‐of‐principle wireless system is built with mobile‐device readout and “smart” treatment triggered by specific symptoms (i.e., epilepsy), exhibiting the practical potential of these silk T²ENGs as self‐powered, transient, and multifunctional implantable bioelectronic platforms.     

On the influence of silicon oxide nanoparticles on the optical and surface properties of hybrid (inorganic–organic) barrier materials

One of the major scientific and technological challenges for the production of flexible organic electronic devices is the device protection against atmospheric molecule permeation, which causes corrosion reducing its operation and lifetime. In this work, Spectroscopic Ellipsometry has been implemented to investigate the influence of silicon dioxide nanoparticles on the optical properties of hybrid polymers. The spectra analysis revealed valuable information about the electronic and vibrational response as well as the cross-linking mechanisms of these materials. The correlation of the optical properties with the synthesis parameters and the barrier response will contribute towards their optimization in order to be used as high barrier coatings for flexible organic electronics applications.     

Nanocellulose intercalation to boost the performance of MXene pressure sensor for human interactive monitoring

The advent of smart and wearable electronics endows flexible pressure sensors with promising potentiality. Ti₃C₂T_x-based MXene is considered as one of attractive sensing materials for its metallic conductivity and adjustable interlayer. However, existing flexible MXene pressure sensor still requires a technical breakthrough that simultaneously possessing high sensitivity, fast response, and durability in low-pressure regime and excellent mechanical strength. Herein, a Ti₃C₂T_x-based pressure sensor with distinctly enhanced sensing functionality and mechanical strength is demonstrated though inserting high-strength of bacterial cellulose nanofibers to control the interlayer of MXene. By optimizing the bacterial cellulose content and MXene interlayer space, the resultant sensor device exhibits high mechanical strength (225 MPa), wide-sensing range with low detective limit (0.4 Pa), high sensitivity (up to 95.2 kPa^?1, in < 50 Pa region), fast response (95 ms) and outperformed repeatability (25,000 cycles), as well as low operation voltage of 0.1 V. For practical application demos, the sensor can monitor multiple human biologic activities, including subtle pressures (e.g., swallow, heartbeat and pulse), acoustic vibrations and gesture motions, and serve as electronic skin for mapping pressure distribution, elucidating the potential application in medical diagnosis, smart robotics and human-machine interfacing.

     

Organic Nanowire Fabrication and Device Applications

Organic nanowires (ONWs) are flexible, stretchable, and have good electrical properties, and therefore have great potential for use in next‐generation textile and wearable electronics. Analysis of trends in ONWs supports their great potential for various stretchable and flexible electronic applications such as flexible displays and flexible photovoltaics. Numerous methods can be used to prepare ONWs, but the practical industrial application of ONWs has not been achieved because of the lack of reliable techniques for controlling and patterning of individual nanowires. Therefore, an “individually controllable” technique to fabricate ONWs is essential for practical device applications. In this paper, three types of fabrication methods of ONWs are reviewed: non‐alignment methods, massive‐alignment methods, and individual‐alignment methods. Recent research on electronic and photonic device applications of ONWs is then reviewed. Finally, suggestions for future research are put forward.     

柔性储能电池电极的设计、制备与应用EI北大核心CSCD

随着便携式、可穿戴电子器件的迅速发展,柔性储能器件的研究逐渐转向微型化、轻柔化和智能化等方向。同时人们对器件的能量密度、功率密度和力学性能有了更高的要求。电极材料作为柔性储能器件的核心部分,是决定器件性能的关键。柔性储能电子器件的发展,又迫切需要新型电池技术和快速、低成本且可精准控制其微结构的制备方法。因此,柔性锂/钠离子电池、柔性锂硫电池、柔性锌空电池等新型储能器件的研发成为目前学术界研究的热点。本文论述了近年来柔性储能电池电极的研究现状,着重对柔性电极材料的设计(独立柔性电极和柔性基底电极)、不同维度柔性电极材料的制备工艺(一维材料、二维材料和三维材料)和柔性储能电极的应用(柔性锂/钠离子电池、柔性锂硫电池、柔性锌空电池)进行对比分析,并对电极材料的结构特性和电化学性能进行了讨论。最后,指出了柔性储能器件目前所面临的问题,并针对此类问题展望了柔性储能器件未来的重点在于新型固态电解质的研发、器件结构的合理设计及封装技术的不断优化。     

Flexible visible-infrared metamaterials and their applications in highly sensitive chemical and biological sensing

Flexible electronic and photonic devices have been demonstrated in the past decade, with significant promise in low-cost, light-weighted, transparent, biocompatible, and portable devices for a wide range of applications. Herein, we demonstrate a flexible metamaterial (Metaflex)-based photonic device operating in the visible-IR regime, which shows potential applications in high sensitivity strain, biological and chemical sensing. The metamaterial structure, consisting of split ring resonators (SRRs) of 30 nm thick Au or Ag, has been fabricated on poly(ethylene naphthalate) substrates with the least line width of ～30 nm by electron beam lithography. The absorption resonances can be tuned from middle IR to visible range. The Ag U-shaped SRRs metamaterials exhibit an electric resonance of ～542 nm and a magnetic resonance of ～756 nm. Both the electric and magnetic resonance modes show highly sensitive responses to out-of-plane bending strain, surrounding dielectric media, and surface chemical environment. Due to the electric and magnetic field coupling, the magnetic response gives a sensitivity as high as 436 nm/RIU. Our Metaflex devices show superior responses with a shift of magnetic resonance of 4.5 nm/nM for nonspecific bovine serum albumin protein binding and 65 nm for a self-assembled monolayer of 2-naphthalenethiol, respectively, suggesting considerable promise in flexible and transparent photonic devices for chemical and biological sensing.     

Materials and Techniques for Implantable Nutrient Sensing Using Flexible Sensors Integrated with Metal–Organic Frameworks

The combination of novel materials with flexible electronic technology may yield new concepts of flexible electronic devices that effectively detect various biological chemicals to facilitate understanding of biological processes and conduct health monitoring. This paper demonstrates single‐ or multichannel implantable flexible sensors that are surface modified with conductive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) such as copper‐MOF and cobalt‐MOF with large surface area, high porosity, and tunable catalysis capability. The sensors can monitor important nutriments such as ascorbicacid, glycine, l ‐tryptophan (l ‐Trp), and glucose with detection resolutions of 14.97, 0.71, 4.14, and 54.60 × 10^?6 m , respectively. In addition, they offer sensing capability even under extreme deformation and complex surrounding environment with continuous monitoring capability for 20 d due to minimized use of biological active chemicals. Experiments using live cells and animals indicate that the MOF‐modified sensors are biologically safe to cells, and can detect l ‐Trp in blood and interstitial fluid. This work represents the first effort in integrating MOFs with flexible sensors to achieve highly specific and sensitive implantable electrochemical detection and may inspire appearance of more flexible electronic devices with enhanced capability in sensing, energy storage, and catalysis using various properties of MOFs.     

Multiscale Hierarchical Design of a Flexible Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor with High Sensitivity and Wide Linearity Range

Flexible piezoresistive pressure sensors have been attracting wide attention for applications in health monitoring and human‐machine interfaces because of their simple device structure and easy‐readout signals. For practical applications, flexible pressure sensors with both high sensitivity and wide linearity range are highly desirable. Herein, a simple and low‐cost method for the fabrication of a flexible piezoresistive pressure sensor with a hierarchical structure over large areas is presented. The piezoresistive pressure sensor consists of arrays of microscale papillae with nanoscale roughness produced by replicating the lotus leaf's surface and spray‐coating of graphene ink. Finite element analysis (FEA) shows that the hierarchical structure governs the deformation behavior and pressure distribution at the contact interface, leading to a quick and steady increase in contact area with loads. As a result, the piezoresistive pressure sensor demonstrates a high sensitivity of 1.2 kPa⁻¹ and a wide linearity range from 0 to 25 kPa. The flexible pressure sensor is applied for sensitive monitoring of small vibrations, including wrist pulse and acoustic waves. Moreover, a piezoresistive pressure sensor array is fabricated for mapping the spatial distribution of pressure. These results highlight the potential applications of the flexible piezoresistive pressure sensor for health monitoring and electronic skin.     

Flexible memristive memory array on plastic substrates

The demand for flexible electronic systems such as wearable computers, E-paper, and flexible displays has recently increased due to their advantages over present rigid electronic systems. Flexible memory is an essential part of electronic systems for data processing, storage, and communication and thus a key element to realize such flexible electronic systems. Although several emerging memory technologies, including resistive switching memory, have been proposed, the cell-to-cell interference issue has to be overcome for flexible and high performance nonvolatile memory applications. This paper describes the development of NOR type flexible resistive random access memory (RRAM) with a one transistor-one memristor structure (1T-1M). By integration of a high-performance single crystal silicon transistor with a titanium oxide based memristor, random access to memory cells on flexible substrates was achieved without any electrical interference from adjacent cells. The work presented here can provide a new approach to high-performance nonvolatile memory for flexible electronic applications.     

Fabrication of high-quality silver nanowire conductive film and its application for transparent film heaters

Here,we report a facile method to produce pure silver nanowires (AgNWs) with high yield.A highly conductive dispersant was used to ensure uniform dispersion of the AgNWs.Without any posttreatment,the AgNW networks,deposited on flexible substrates,showed excellent optoelectrical performance owing to minimal junction resistance between the AgNWs.To explore their potential in flexible optoelectronic devices,a transparent film heater was constructed based on the present AgNW networks.The heater could achieve rapid response at low input voltage and reach a relatively high temperature in a short response time.Since this high-quality AgNW film exhibits relatively low production costs and fast production time,it may have value for future electronic industry applications.     

Biodegradable Natural Pectin‐Based Flexible Multilevel Resistive Switching Memory for Transient Electronics

Transient electronics that can physically vanish in solution can offer opportunities to address the ecological challenges for dealing with the rapidly growing electronic waste. As one important component, it is desirable that memory devices combined with the transient feature can also be developed as secrecy information storage systems besides the above advantage. Resistive switching (RS) memory is one of the most promising technologies for next‐generation memory. Herein, the biocompatible pectin extracted from natural orange peel is introduced to fabricate RS memory devices (Ag/pectin/indium tin oxides (ITO)), which exhibit excellent RS characteristics, such as forming free characteristic, low operating voltages (≈1.1 V), fast switching speed (<70 ns), long retention time (>10⁴ s), and multilevel RS behaviors. The device performance is not degraded after 10⁴ bending cycles, which will be beneficial for flexible memory applications. Additionally, instead of using acid solution, the Ag/pectin/ITO memory device can be dissolved rapidly in deionized water within 10 min thanks to the good solubility arising from ionization of its carboxylic groups, which shows promising application for green electronics. The present biocompatible memory devices based on natural pectin suggest promising material candidates toward enabling high‐density secure information storage systems applications, flexible electronics, and green electronics.     

Microfabricated Ion-Selective Transistors with Fast and Super-Nernstian Response

Transistor-based ion sensors have evolved significantly, but the best-performing ones rely on a liquid electrolyte as an internal ion reservoir between the ion-selective membrane and the channel. This liquid reservoir makes sensor miniaturization difficult and leads to devices that are bulky and have limited mechanical flexibility, which is holding back the development of high-performance wearable/implantable ion sensors. This work demonstrates microfabricated ion-selective organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) with a transconductance of 4 mS, in which a thin polyelectrolyte film with mobile sodium ions replaces the liquid reservoir. These devices are capable of selective detection of various ions with a fast response time (≈1 s), a super-Nernstian sensitivity (85 mV dec⁻¹), and a high current sensitivity (224 µA dec⁻¹), comparing favorably to other ion sensors based on traditional and emerging materials. Furthermore, the ion-selective OECTs are stable with highly reproducible sensitivity even after 5 months. These characteristics pave the way for new applications in implantable and wearable electronics.     

Flexible Smart Noncontact Control Systems with Ultrasensitive Humidity Sensors

The development of noncontact humidity sensors with high sensitivity, rapid response, and a facile fabrication process is urgently desired for advanced noncontact human–machine interaction (HMI) applications. Here, a flexible and transparent humidity sensor based on MoO₃ nanosheets is developed with a low‐cost and easily manufactured process. The designed humidity sensor exhibits ultrahigh sensitivity, fast response, great stability, and high selectivity, exceeding the state‐of‐the‐art humidity sensors. Furthermore, a wearable moisture analysis system is assembled for real‐time monitoring of ambient humidity and human breathing states. Benefiting from the sensitive and rapid response to fingertip humidity, the sensors are successfully applied to both a smart noncontact multistage switch and a novel flexible transparent noncontact screen for smart mobile devices, demonstrating the potential of the MoO₃ nanosheets‐based humidity sensors in future HMI systems.     

High Sensitivity,Wearable, Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors Based on Irregular Microhump Structures and Its Applications in Body Motion Sensing

A pressure sensor based on irregular microhump patterns has been proposed and developed. The devices show high sensitivity and broad operating pressure regime while comparing with regular micropattern devices. Finite element analysis (FEA) is utilized to confirm the sensing mechanism and predict the performance of the pressure sensor based on the microhump structures. Silicon carbide sandpaper is employed as the mold to develop polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microhump patterns with various sizes. The active layer of the piezoresistive pressure sensor is developed by spin coating PEDOT:PSS on top of the patterned PDMS. The devices show an averaged sensitivity as high as 851 kPa^?1, broad operating pressure range (20 kPa), low operating power (100 nW), and fast response speed (6.7 kHz). Owing to their flexible properties, the devices are applied to human body motion sensing and radial artery pulse. These flexible high sensitivity devices show great potential in the next generation of smart sensors for robotics, real‐time health monitoring, and biomedical applications.     

Construction of a Flexible Optogenetic Device for Multisite and Multiregional Optical Stimulation Through Flexible µ-LED Displays on the Cerebral Cortex

Precisely delivering light to multiple locations in biological tissue is crucial for advancing multiregional optogenetics in neuroscience research. However, conventional implantable devices typically have rigid geometries and limited light sources, allowing only single or dual probe placement with fixed spacing. Here, a fully flexible optogenetic device with multiple thin-film microscale light-emitting diode (µ-LED) displays scattering from a central controller is presented. Each display is heterogeneously integrated with thin-film 5 × 10 µ-LEDs and five optical fibers 125 µm in diameter to achieve cellular-scale spatial resolution. Meanwhile, the device boasts a compact, flexible circuit capable of multichannel configuration and wireless transmission, with an overall weight of 1.31 g, enabling wireless, real-time neuromodulation of freely moving rats. Characterization results and finite element analysis have demonstrated excellent optical properties and mechanical stability, while cytotoxicity tests further ensure the biocompatibility of the device for implantable applications. Behavior studies under optogenetic modulation indicate great promise for wirelessly modulating neural functions in freely moving animals. The device with multisite and multiregional optogenetic modulation capability offers a comprehensive platform to advance both fundamental neuroscience studies and potential applications in brain-computer interfaces.     

Conductive Polymer Hydrogel Microfibers from Multiflow Microfluidics

Conductive hydrogels are receiving increasing attention for their utility in electronic area applications requiring flexible conductors. Here, it is presented novel conductive hydrogel microfibers with alginate shells and poly (3, 4‐ethylenedioxythiophene): poly (4‐styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) cores fabricated using a multiflow capillary microfluidic spinning approach. Based on multiflow microfluidics, alginate shells are formed immediately from the fast gelation reaction between sodium alginate (Na‐Alg) and sheath laminar calcium chloride flows, while PEDOT: PSS cores are solidified slowly in the hollow alginate hydrogel shell microreactors after their precursor solutions are injected in situ as the center fluids. The resultant PEDOT: PSS‐containing microfibers are with features of designed morphology and highly controllable package, because material compositions or the sizes of their shell hydrogels can be tailored by using different concentrations or flow rates of pregel solutions. Moreover, the practical values of these microfibers in stretch sensitivity and bending stability are explored based on various electrical characterizations of the compound materials. Thus, it is believed that these microfluidic spinning PEDOT: PSS conductive microfibers will find important utility in electronic applications requiring flexible electronic systems.