Stretchable snake electrodes and porous dielectric layers for advanced flexible pressure sensors

Abstract

Conventional flexible electrodes used in capacitive flexible pressure sensors require cumbersome manufacturing processes, high production costs, and harsh operating conditions. Thus, these limit the wide application of conventional flexible electrodes. To solve these problems, we reported a capacitive flexible sensor based on flexible serpentine electrodes fabricated by direct ink writing method and porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) dielectric layer. The sensor has a simple structure and low production cost. It has a quick response time, wide detection range, and can remain stable for up to 200 cycles. It can also be used to monitor human movement. We also made 5 × 5 sensor arrays to detect spatial pressure distribution. This pressure sensor has wide application scenarios in the future of wearable electronics.