Flexible pressure sensors via engineering microstructures for wearable human-machine interaction and health monitoring applications
Xihua Cui,
Fengli Huang,
Xianchao Zhang,
Pingan Song,
Hua Zheng,
Venkata Chevali,
Hao Wang,
Zhiguang Xu
Affiliations
Xihua Cui
China-Australia Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, China
Fengli Huang
College of Information Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Medical Electronics and Digital Health of Zhejiang Province, Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Human Health Situation Awareness of Zhejiang Province, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, China
Xianchao Zhang
College of Information Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Medical Electronics and Digital Health of Zhejiang Province, Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Human Health Situation Awareness of Zhejiang Province, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, China
Pingan Song
Centre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Central 4300, Australia; School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Central 4300, Australia; Corresponding author
Hua Zheng
School of Architecture and Energy Engineering, Wenzhou University of Technology, 1 Jingguan Road, Wenzhou University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Corresponding author
Venkata Chevali
Centre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Central 4300, Australia
Hao Wang
Centre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Central 4300, Australia
Zhiguang Xu
China-Australia Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Flexible pressure sensors capable of transducing pressure stimuli into electrical signals have drawn extensive attention owing to their potential applications for human-machine interaction and healthcare monitoring. To meet these application demands, engineering microstructures in the pressure sensors are an efficient way to improve key sensing performances, such as sensitivity, linear sensing range, response time, hysteresis, and durability. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent advances in the fabrication and application of high-performance flexible pressure sensors via engineering microstructures. The implementation mechanisms and fabrication strategies of microstructures including micropatterned, porous, fiber-network, and multiple microstructures are systematically summarized. The applications of flexible pressure sensors with microstructures in the fields of wearable human-machine interaction, and ex vivo and in vivo healthcare monitoring are comprehensively discussed. Finally, the outlook and challenges in the future improvement of flexible pressure sensors toward practical applications are presented.
