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

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.