Laser-assisted micropyramid patterned PDMS encapsulation of 1D tellurium nanowires on cellulose paper for highly sensitive strain sensor and its photodetection studies

Abstract

This work demonstrates the fabrication of tellurium-nanowires (Te-NWs)/paper based device encapsulated using laser assisted mircopyramid patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films. Although there are multiple reports published on 1D Te, most of them are limited to establishing its properties and studying its behavior as a sensor and research on the utilization of Te-NWs for physical sensors remain unexplored. Further, reports on p-type photodetectors also remain scarce. The fabricated Te-NWs/paper with micropyramid structured PDMS films encapsulation was used as a strain sensor, and it exhibited considerable improvement (∼60%) in sensitivity compared to smooth PDMS films. The gauge factor of the developed strain sensor was found to be∼15.3. In addition, fabricated Te-NWs/paper device with contacts was used as a photodetector and it showed photoresponsivity of∼22.5 mA W −1 and∼14.5 mA W −1 in visible and NIR regions, respectively. Furthermore, the device exhibited long-term mechanical stability under harsh deformations. Fabricated 1D Te-NWs/paper device was utilized as a strain sensor to monitor the angular movements in the human body and successfully monitored various human motions, including wrist bending, finger knuckle, elbow joint, and knee joint. The successful demonstration of Te-NWs based physical sensors and utilization in broadband photodetectors opens avenues of research for tellurium based flexible and wearable devices.

TeNWs/Ti3C2Tx Nanohybrid-Based Flexible Pressure Sensors for Personal Safety Applications Using Morse Code

“…The synthesis of TeNWs was carried out by a hydrothermal process utilizing the following steps. , In step 1, Na 2 TeO 3 (110.7 mg) and PVP (1.0 g) were added to 25 mL of deionized (DI) water and agitated briskly to acquire a homogeneous solution at 500 rpm speed using a magnetic stirrer. In step 2, 1 mL of N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O and 1.66 mL of NH 3 ·H 2 O were poured into the stirred solution and kept for a relentless stirring of 30 min at 500 rpm speed.…”

“…39 A previous report by the group utilizes micropyramid patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-encapsulated TeNWs on cellulose paper as a capable strain sensor and photodetector. 23 This work goes a step further by utilizing a 1D TeNW/2D MXene nanohybrid to fabricate a cellulose-paper-based flexible sensor for pressure sensing and wirelessly connecting the sensor for communication applications. This article explores the prospect of using flexible TeNWs/ Ti 3 C 2 T x -based piezoresistive sensors to collect and transmit Morse code data for personal safety applications.…”

“…Tellurium is a post-transition chalcogen part of the Group IV family that is shown to be a p-type semiconductor with a bandgap of around 1.3 eV in the nanowire form . Te nanowires (NWs) have demonstrated remarkable electronic properties like tunable bandgap and high carrier mobility, opening up great potential applications. − Further, synthesis of TeNWs is possible using the hydrothermal method, which is facile, scalable, and cost-effective.…”

Plasmonic Au Nanoparticles Coated on ReS2 Nanosheets for Visible-Near-Infrared Photodetectors

“…In recent years, there has been a huge surge in the development of flexible photodetectors because of the growing automotive, health care, and consumer electronics industries. − According to precedence research, by 2030 the global flexible electronics market size is projected to be worth approximately $61 billion . Flexible photodetectors have become the key component of wearable optoelectronics technology for a plethora of applications such as sensors for portable and wearable health monitoring devices, soft robotics, high-speed optical communication, bioimaging, electronic skin, and so forth. − While early research progress and various innovations have already been achieved, still fabricating cost-effective and large-area high-performance photodetectors faces practical problems before they become part of daily life practical applications. Hence, there is a need for the development of high-performance flexible photodetectors.…”

Flexible Equivalent Strain Sensor with Ordered Concentric Circular Curved Cracks Inspired by Scorpion

“…), selecting different conductive functional materials (like C-based materials and metal nanowires), or introducing various structures (Gaussian microstructures, micro-pyramid structures, etc. ). − Though excellent properties of strain sensors, including high sensitivity and good durability, have been achieved, there are still some disadvantages, such as complex manufacturing processes and high cost, which limit the practical applications of flexible strain sensors. Therefore, a strain sensor with excellent sensitivity, low cost, and a short manufacturing cycle remains a great challenge.…”