The sensitivity and linearity are critical parameters that can preserve the high pressure‐resolution across a wide range and simplify the signal processing process of flexible tactile sensors. Although extensive micro‐structured dielectrics have been explored to improve the sensitivity of capacitive sensors, the attenuation of sensitivity with increasing pressure is yet to be fully resolved. Herein, a novel dielectric layer based on the gradient micro‐dome architecture (GDA) is presented to simultaneously realize the high sensitivity and ultrabroad linearity range of capacitive sensors. The gradient micro‐dome pixels with rationally collocated amount and height can effectively regulate the contact area and hence enable the linear variation in effective dielectric constant of the GDA dielectric layer under varying pressures. With systematical optimization, the sensor exhibits the high sensitivity of 0.065 kPa−1 in an ultrabroad linearity range up to 1700 kPa, which is first reported. Based on the excellent sensitivity and linearity, the high pressure‐resolution can be preserved across the full scale of pressure spectrum. Therefore, potential applications such as all‐round physiological signal detection in diverse scenarios, control instruction transmission with combinatorial force inputs, and convenient Morse code communication with non‐overlapping capacitance signals are successfully demonstrated through a single sensor device.
Flexible superhydrophobic surfaces have recently attracted extensive interest not only in the field of burgeoning flexible electronics, but also for the practicability toward various situations. Herein, a cost‐effective and environment‐friendly approach is demonstrated to realize the durable, flexible, and superhydrophobic film with optical transparency. Without sophisticated facilities, the essential hierarchical architecture to render a low‐adhesive surface is achieved via magnetic field‐assisted polydimethylsiloxane microcilia, followed with the swelling process to decorate nanoscaled particles with excellent robustness. This tight connection between the microcilia and decorated nanoparticles renders the mechanical robustness with resistance to ultrasonic treatment, sandpaper abrasion, and high‐speed water impact. The film further exhibits outstanding stabilities when exposed to organic contamination, hot water, and chemical corrosions. Water repellency is well preserved when the film is under various mechanical deformations including cyclic stretching, bending, and squeezing. For practical demonstrations, the film is applied as the protective film for touch screen owing to the intrinsic optical transmittance, or serves as the water‐proof covers for sorts of complex/curved surfaces. These stated features reveal the convincing potential of the methodology to be applied for the circumstances where simultaneous addressing of robustness, flexibility, and adaptability is highly appreciated.
Exploration of wearable strain sensors for diverse application scenarios is one global mainstream for shaping the future of our intelligent community. However, state-of-the-art wearable devices still face the challenges such...
Wearable sensors have recently attracted extensive interest not only in the field of healthcare monitoring but also for convenient and intelligent human–machine interactions. However, challenges such as wearable comfort, multiple applicable conditions, and differentiation of mechanical stimuli are yet to be fully addressed. Herein, we developed a breathable and waterproof electronic skin (E-skin) that can perceive pressure/strain with nonoverlapping signals. The synergistic effect from magnetic attraction and nanoscaled aggregation renders the E-skin with microscaled pores for breathability and three-dimensional microcilia for superhydrophobicity. Upon applied pressure, the bending of conductive microcilia enables sufficient contacts for resistance decrease, while the stretching causes increased resistance due to the separation of conductive materials. The optimized E-skin exhibits a high gauge factor of 7.747 for small strain (0–80%) and a detection limit down to 0.04%. The three-dimensional microcilia also exhibit a sensitivity of −0.0198 kPa–1 (0–3 kPa) and a broad detection range up to 200 kPa with robustness. The E-skin can reliably and precisely distinguish kinds of the human joint motions, covering a broad spectrum including bending, stretching, and pressure. With the nonoverlapping readouts, ternary inputs “1”, “0”, and “–1” could be produced with different stimuli, which expands the command capacity for logic outputs such as effective Morse code and intuitive robotic control. Owing to the rapid response, long-term stability (10 000 cycles), breathability, and superhydrophobicity, we believe that the E-skin can be widely applied as wearable devices from body motion monitoring to human–machine interactions toward a more convenient and intelligent future.
Recently, flexible electronic skins (e-skins) have attracted extensive attention for their great potential in health monitoring, human-machine interaction (HMI), intelligent robotics, and Internet of Things, etc. [1][2][3][4][5] E-skins are flexible electronic
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