Hollow polyaniline microsphere functionalized paper with multimodal sensitivity to strain, humidity, and pressure

Abstract

Functionalized paper is a class of promising candidate materials for flexible electronic devices, but preparation of functional paper with multimodal sensitivity remains a challenge. Herein, functionalized paper with multimodal sensitivity is developed by introducing hollow polyaniline microspheres (HPM) on the surface of paper. Hierarchical structures of cracks, holes, and microgaps on various scales are obtained on the HPM layer, which endows the paper integrated sensitivity to bending strains, relative humidity (RH), and pressure. Interestingly, such paper can be further applied in flexible sensors for monitoring human motions, breathing vapor, sweat of a finger, RH of various soils, and pressure of a finger. Overall, this kind of functionalized paper may not only work as sensing materials for flexible sensor but also provides a clue to developing other kinds of high-performance electronic materials for supercapacitors, transistors, and display devices.