Flexible Copper Nanowire Electronics for Wireless Dynamic Pressure Sensing

Abstract

Recent advances in the field of flexible electronics have garnered immense attention. Flexible pressure sensors with high sensitivity and the capability of being additively manufactured are becoming crucial for monitoring signals pertaining to various stimuli. Herein, we describe a conformal resistive pressure sensor by direct writing of metal nanowires onto flexible ceramics for impact sensing and pressure monitoring under extreme environments. The conformal pressure sensor shows a sensitivity of 1.45 kPa −1 for static pressures as low as 49 Pa to 4905 Pa, a fast response time of 70 ms, and high cyclic stability and reliability (>1000 cycles). It can also be utilized for wireless detection of impacts and pressure impacts as a consequence of laser shockwaves with resulting dynamic pressures ranging from 0.17−0.29 MPa. The printed pressure sensor also displays the capability of detecting the pulse and providing vital information regarding the arterial physical situation in a noninvasive way. The findings shown here detail the capability of sensor electronics with the capability of additive manufacturing for next-generation flexible hybrid electronics.

Molecular copper decomposition ink for printable electronics

“…Electronics have advanced rapidly, allowing for miniaturized sensors, antennas and circuits to be printable, compact, lightweight and flexible. [1][2][3] Recent years have seen an increasing emergence of interest in using printable materials, such as graphene, 4,5 MXenes, 6,7 metal nanostructures, [8][9][10][11][12] and conductive polymers. 13,14 Of these materials, copper shows immense potential due to its abundance, low-cost, and inherently high conductivity.…”

“…13,14 Of these materials, copper shows immense potential due to its abundance, low-cost, and inherently high conductivity. [8][9][10][11][12] Bulk copper has been extensively used in electronics, but copper itself suffers from oxidation, which hinders its conductivity. 12 This is further exacerbated on the nanoscale due to higher surface energies, resulting in greater potential for oxidation.…”

Copper Nanoplates for Printing Flexible High-Temperature Conductors

“…When compared to Cu NPs, Cu NWs have significantly lower percolation thresholds for a conductive film due to high aspect ratios of the nanostructure. This allows for NWs to be utilized in applications like wearable electronics − or as transparent conductive oxides (TCOs). , Cu NPLs, on the other hand, have a percolation threshold that is between that of Cu NPs and Cu NPLs. Once percolated, however, Cu NPLs show great potential due to higher ampacity and electromagnetic interference shielding capabilities from plate stacking as a result of their 2D architecture.…”

“…Cu NPs have the best printability due to smaller sizes but can have potential issues with agglomeration of the NPs, which can result in fragile prints . In addition to these, Cu NWs tend to suffer from clogging of the nozzles due to the large aspect ratio, thus limiting the available printing techniques. ,, Cu NPLs, due to the 2D architecture, do not suffer from nozzle clogging as much from the larger aspect ratio but are limited to the size of the basal plane (similar to the diameter of Cu NPs).…”

Deformation of Copper Nanowire under Coupled Tension–Torsion Loading

“…Metallic nanowires (NWs) are essential building blocks for various high-end applications, such as nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), flexible electronics [1], sensors [2], and solar cells [3,4]. Especially for flexible electronics [5,6], NWs experience different mechanical deformation modes, such as bending, torsion, and tension [7].…”