Flexible All-Fabric Pressure Sensors with Ultra-High Sensitivity and Wide Detection Range Fabricated via DIW-Printed AgNW Electrodes and AgNW/MXene Sensing Layers

Abstract

Flexible wearable pressure sensors are crucial for personalized healthcare but suffer from inherent limitations: the “sensitivity-range trade-off” and the challenge of balancing sensing performance with textile breathability and comfort. To overcome these issues, a bilayer all-fabric piezoresistive sensor is developed by integrating direct ink writing and stepwise dip-coating to fabricate AgNW interdigital electrodes and an AgNW/MXene-coated sensing fabric, respectively. By leveraging the synergistic “point-line-surface” conductive architecture and the structural resilience of the knitted substrate, the sensor effectively resolves the conflict between high sensitivity and a wide detection range. It exhibits segmented high sensitivity: 1.29 × 10⁸ (0–0.1 kPa), 1.19 × 10⁷ (0.1–4 kPa), 9.19 × 10⁵ (4–25 kPa), 4.15 × 10⁵ (25–55 kPa), and 1.68 × 10⁵ kPa^–1 (55–120 kPa). It also boasts a broad working range up to 120 kPa, an ultra-low detection limit of 0.3 Pa, and rapid response/recovery times (18/39 ms). Practical validation confirms its versatility in full-range human motion monitoring from subtle physiological pulses to vigorous joint movements and advanced human–machine interaction, such as intelligent Morse code transmission and real-time mouse control. This work provides a versatile strategy for fabricating high-performance textile-based sensors, offering great potential for next-generation smart wearables and integrated health monitoring systems.