Wide-range sensitive all-textile piezoresistive sensors assembled with biomimetic core-shell yarn via facile embroidery integration

Abstract

Emerging of flexible high-performance pressure sensor has recently led to the development and flourish of wearable intelligent systems. However, a recurring challenge restricting the performances and large-scale applications is the incorporation of high flexibility, wide working pressure range, and facile integration into flexible pressure sensor. In this paper, cytoskeleton-inspired core–shell yarns (CCSY), containing internal silver-plated nylon electrode and external sensing layer with bridge-binder cell (BBC) structures, have been prepared by a modified immersing coating process. Due to the great flexibility and knittability of CCSY, integrated sensors array, as well as pressure sensors, has been inserted into traditional textiles with expected location and resolution via a facile embroidery technique. The obtained pressure sensor shows a wide working pressure range (up to 25 N, ∼148.017 MPa), a high sensitivity (up to 5.15 N−1) and a short response time (∼11.2 ms) with the help of BBC structures. Moreover, the pressure sensor can monitor physiological signals of human body accurately and swiftly, such as pulses, joints movements, and plantar pressure. The scalable and high-performance CCSY-based pressure sensors pave a pass for the next generation wearable intelligent system, fulfilling the sophisticated demands of intelligent life, personalized health care and human–machine interface.