Wearable multifunctional soft sensor and contactless 3D scanner using supersonically sprayed silver nanowires, carbon nanotubes, zinc oxide, and PEDOT:PSS

Abstract

The multifunctional soft sensor developed here is capable of simultaneously sensing six stimuli, including pressure, bending strain, temperature, proximity, UV light, and humidity, with high accuracy and without interference among the respective built-in components. The sensor is fabricated via a facile, scalable, and cost-effective supersonic cold-spraying method using silver nanowires (AgNWs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), zinc oxide (ZnO), and conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). A mask and laser cutter are used in conjunction with the supersonic cold-spraying method to produce miniaturized multifunctional sensors that can be readily installed on various substrates; for example, the production of gloves capable of multifunctional sensing. In particular, the proximity sensor of the multifunctional glove sensor can produce a three-dimensional (3D) image of a scanned object, showing high potential for use in military, medical, and industrial applications.