{"title":"A bidirectionally frozen carbon aerogel reinforced by tetrapod ZnO bridges for high-performance pressure sensing","authors":"Yichen Wang, Fang Suo, Yihang Ben, Rui Guo, Yongtao Yao, Zhenbo Liu","doi":"10.1016/S1872-5805(26)61103-1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of flexible pressure sensors that simultaneously achieve high sensitivity, mechanical strength, and long-term stability remains challenging, particularly for biomass-derived carbon aerogels that are intrinsically brittle and prone to structural collapse. We have used bidirectional freezing to reorganize randomly distributed cellulose nanofibers, pre-synthesized nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets, and tetrapod-shaped ZnO whiskers (T-ZnOWs) into a mechanically stable load-bearing network of parallel layers. T-ZnOWs were incorporated as rigid interlayer pillars bridging adjacent carbon lamellae, forming a mechanically stable “layer-support” structure that enables efficient and directional stress transfer while suppressing interlayer slippage and structural instability, thereby promoting cooperative deformation of the lamellar units. The nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets introduce defect-rich conductive paths that increase the piezoresistive response, while the T-ZnOWs function as both rigid interlayer pillars and piezoelectric activation units. Because of the modulus mismatch between the supports and carbon layers, any applied stress is preferentially concentrated at the layer/support interfaces, generating localized high-stress regions. Consequently, small mechanical stimuli induce pronounced electrical resistance changes, resulting in an amplified electrical signal. To improve the device durability, it was infiltrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a conformal elastic encapsulating layer. The resulting aerogel sensor has a high gauge factor of 34.4, an ultrahigh sensitivity of 248.41 kPa<sup>−1</sup> over a broad pressure range (0–19 kPa), fast response (24 ms) and recovery (69 ms) times and stable operation over 5000 loading–unloading cycles. The sensor reliably detects physiological signals and joint motions, demonstrating its potential for wearable and intelligent sensing applications. This work provides a way to improve the mechanical reliability and sensing performance of biomass-derived carbon aerogels.<span><figure><span><img><ol><li><span><span>Download: <span>Download high-res image (83KB)</span></span></span></li><li><span><span>Download: <span>Download full-size image</span></span></span></li></ol></span></figure></span></div></div>","PeriodicalId":19719,"journal":{"name":"New Carbon Materials","volume":"41 4","pages":"Pages 1010-1024"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2000,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"New Carbon Materials","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1872580526611031","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/9/4 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Materials Science","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The development of flexible pressure sensors that simultaneously achieve high sensitivity, mechanical strength, and long-term stability remains challenging, particularly for biomass-derived carbon aerogels that are intrinsically brittle and prone to structural collapse. We have used bidirectional freezing to reorganize randomly distributed cellulose nanofibers, pre-synthesized nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets, and tetrapod-shaped ZnO whiskers (T-ZnOWs) into a mechanically stable load-bearing network of parallel layers. T-ZnOWs were incorporated as rigid interlayer pillars bridging adjacent carbon lamellae, forming a mechanically stable “layer-support” structure that enables efficient and directional stress transfer while suppressing interlayer slippage and structural instability, thereby promoting cooperative deformation of the lamellar units. The nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets introduce defect-rich conductive paths that increase the piezoresistive response, while the T-ZnOWs function as both rigid interlayer pillars and piezoelectric activation units. Because of the modulus mismatch between the supports and carbon layers, any applied stress is preferentially concentrated at the layer/support interfaces, generating localized high-stress regions. Consequently, small mechanical stimuli induce pronounced electrical resistance changes, resulting in an amplified electrical signal. To improve the device durability, it was infiltrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a conformal elastic encapsulating layer. The resulting aerogel sensor has a high gauge factor of 34.4, an ultrahigh sensitivity of 248.41 kPa−1 over a broad pressure range (0–19 kPa), fast response (24 ms) and recovery (69 ms) times and stable operation over 5000 loading–unloading cycles. The sensor reliably detects physiological signals and joint motions, demonstrating its potential for wearable and intelligent sensing applications. This work provides a way to improve the mechanical reliability and sensing performance of biomass-derived carbon aerogels.
期刊介绍：
New Carbon Materials is a scholarly journal that publishes original research papers focusing on the physics, chemistry, and technology of organic substances that serve as precursors for creating carbonaceous solids with aromatic or tetrahedral bonding. The scope of materials covered by the journal extends from diamond and graphite to a variety of forms including chars, semicokes, mesophase substances, carbons, carbon fibers, carbynes, fullerenes, and carbon nanotubes. The journal's objective is to showcase the latest research findings and advancements in the areas of formation, structure, properties, behaviors, and technological applications of carbon materials. Additionally, the journal includes papers on the secondary production of new carbon and composite materials, such as carbon-carbon composites, derived from the aforementioned carbons. Research papers on organic substances will be considered for publication only if they have a direct relevance to the resulting carbon materials.
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