A personalized electronic textile for ultrasensitive pressure sensing enabled by biocompatible MXene/PEDOT:PSS composite

Abstract

Abstract Flexible, breathable, and highly sensitive pressure sensors have increasingly become a focal point of interest due to their pivotal role in healthcare monitoring, advanced electronic skin applications, and disease diagnosis. However, traditional methods, involving elastomer film‐based substrates or encapsulation techniques, often fall short due to mechanical mismatches, discomfort, lack of breathability, and limitations in sensing abilities. Consequently, there is a pressing need, yet it remains a significant challenge to create pressure sensors that are not only highly breathable, flexible, and comfortable but also sensitive, durable, and biocompatible. Herein, we present a biocompatible and breathable fabric‐based pressure sensor, using nonwoven fabrics as both the sensing electrode (coated with MXene/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate [PEDOT:PSS]) and the interdigitated electrode (printed with MXene pattern) via a scalable spray‐coating and screen‐coating technique. The resultant device exhibits commendable air permeability, biocompatibility, and pressure sensing performance, including a remarkable sensitivity (754.5 kPa−1), rapid response/recovery time (180/110 ms), and robust cycling stability. Furthermore, the integration of PEDOT:PSS plays a crucial role in protecting the MXene nanosheets from oxidation, significantly enhancing the device's long‐term durability. These outstanding features make this sensor highly suitable for applications in full‐range human activities detection and disease diagnosis. Our study underscores the promising future of flexible pressure sensors in the realm of intelligent wearable electronics, setting a new benchmark for the industry.

Keywords

• biocompatibility
• MXene
• pressure sensor
• screen printing
• textile