Tungsten oxysulfide nanoparticles interspersed nylon based e-textile as a low cost, wearable multifunctional platform for ultra-sensitive tactile sensing and breath sensing applications

Abstract

In this work, we report the hydrothermal synthesis of Tungsten Oxysulfide (WS2|O) nanoparticles interspersed onto porous, lightweight Nylon fabric as a clean-room-free, multifunctional sensor for detection of human breath, strain, and pressure. Morphological characterizations reveal the uniform dispersion of the conductive WS2|O nanosheets across the ultra-thin fibers of nylon. The fabricated WS2|O@nylon-based device as a breath sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity towards different breath patterns. The optimization studies resulted in a 4-layered high-performance piezoresistive wearable pressure sensor. It exhibited a sensitivity of 1.5 kPa−1, response time of 0.2 sec over a dynamic range of 50 Pa to 350 Pa. A Gauge factor of 24.2 and good mechanical stability across 10,000 cycles of compressive strain exhibited by the strain sensor makes it suitable for gesture recognition. The exceptional sensitivity, stability with good flexibility prove it as a promising device platform for the development of various wearable multifunctional sensor applications.