Flexible pressure sensor based on thermoplastic polyurethane/polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber membranes

Abstract

The mechanical flexibility of flexible sensors primarily originates from sensitive flexible materials. Therefore, the key to developing new flexible mechanical sensors lies in constructing high-performance sensitive flexible materials. In this study, we employ a coaxial electrostatic spinning technique to prepare thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber membranes (NFM) with a core–shell structure for the construction of flexible piezoelectric mechanosensors. The utilization of TPU/PVDF NFM in flexible mechanosensors for human health monitoring and environmental sensing is investigated. As a result, the excellent performance of this composite membrane was demonstrated by its high mechanical strength and flexibility, resulting in high sensitivity (GF: 0.42 V/kPa), low response time (100 ms), and wide sensing range (0.2∼5.0 kPa). Additionally, The TPU/PVDF NFM not only demonstrates excellent pressure sensing performance but also exhibits exceptional capabilities for human body sensing applications. Therefore, these results highlight that the TPU/PVDF NFM exhibits excellent pressure-sensing properties and holds significant potential for applications in the fields of flexible robotics and wearable devices such as human-computer interfaces, intelligent healthcare systems, and artificial intelligence skin technologies.