Due to its excellent flexibility, graphene has an important application prospect in epidermal electronic sensors. However, there are drawbacks in current devices, such as sensitivity, range, lamination, and artistry. In this work, we have demonstrated a multilayer graphene epidermal electronic skin based on laser scribing graphene, whose patterns are programmable. A process has been developed to remove the unreduced graphene oxide. This method makes the epidermal electronic skin not only transferable to butterflies, human bodies, and any other objects inseparably and elegantly, merely with the assistance of water, but also have better sensitivity and stability. Therefore, pattern electronic skin could attach to every object like artwork. When packed in Ecoflex, electronic skin exhibits excellent performance, including ultrahigh sensitivity (gauge factor up to 673), large strain range (as high as 10%), and long-term stability. Therefore, many subtle physiological signals can be detected based on epidermal electronic skin with a single graphene line. Electronic skin with multiple graphene lines is employed to detect large-range human motion. To provide a deeper understanding of the resistance variation mechanism, a physical model is established to explain the relationship between the crack directions and electrical characteristics. These results show that graphene epidermal electronic skin has huge potential in health care and intelligent systems.
The flexible pressure sensor is one of the essential components of the wearable device, which is a critical solution to the applications of artificial intelligence and human−computer interactions in the future. Due to its simple manufacturing process and measurement methods, research related to piezoresistive mechanical sensors is booming, and those sensors are already widely used in industry. However, existing pressure sensors are almost all based on negative resistance variations, making it difficult to reach a balance between the sensitivity and the detection range. Here, we demonstrated a low-cost flexible pressure sensor with a positive resistance−pressure response based on laser scribing graphene. The sensor can be customized and modulated to achieve both an ultrahigh sensitivity and a broad detection range. Furthermore, the device possesses the signal amplification property like a mechanical triode under the external pressure bias. Based on its amplification ability, varieties of physiological signals and human movements have been detected using our devices; then, an integrated gait monitoring system has been realized. The reported positive graphene pressure sensor has outstanding capability, showing a wide application range such as intelligent perception, an interactive device, and real-time health/motion monitoring.
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