Biomass-based coating for paper fabric with excellent flame retardancy for improved durability humidity/pressure sensors

Abstract

Paper fabric is a good alternative for flexible sensors, but it remains challenging to engineer a versatile paper-based sensor for monitoring the body’s condition. Even worse, the practical applications are strongly restricted due to their intrinsically high flammability, especially the paper-based construction in the short-circuit environment will cause fire, threatening life and health. Here, we report a facile strategy for constructing a flame retardant, healthy and eco-friendly paper-based sensor by assembly of natural phytic acid, chitosan and acrylamide. Successfully engineering paper-based sensors with great humidity and pressure sensing could lead to breakthroughs in life monitoring. The resulting paper-based sensors exhibit excellent repeatability and reliability for respiratory monitoring. Specifically, the signal output is stable in the maximum and minimum strain interval, this makes the resulting paper highly durable and suitable as a pressure sensor. Notably, the modified paper exhibits excellent flame retardant properties due to the synergistic effect between the gas phase and the condensation phase, thus, they exhibit a limited oxygen index value of 27.8 %, the paper self-extinguishes immediately after the ignition of 15 s. And even, the carbon length of the modified paper is less than 120 mm in the vertical combustion monitoring. This work offers an environmentally friendly, safe, and sustainable method for the fabrication of paper-based flexible sensors derived from renewable materials, and hold great potential for the development of environmentally friendly electronic devices.