Nanocellulose-Enhanced, Easily Processable Cellulose-Based Flexible Pressure Sensor for Wearable Epidermal Sensing.

ABSTRACT

Flexible pressure sensors (FPSs) based on biomass materials have gained considerable attention for their potential in wearable electronics, human-machine interaction, and environmental protection. Herein, flexible silver nanowire-dual-cellulose paper (SNdCP) containing common cellulose fibers, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), and silver nanowires (AgNWs) for FPSs was assembled by a facile papermaking strategy. Compared with bacterial cellulose (BC) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), CNFs possess better dimensions and reinforcement, which enables the composite paper to exhibit better mechanical properties (tensile stress of 164.65 MPa) and electrical conductivity (11600 S·m-1), providing more possibilities for FPSs. Benefiting from these advantages, we construct an easily processable and sensitive human-interactive FPS based on a composite paper with high sensitivity (0.050 kPa-1), fast response/recovery time (158/95 ms), and exceptional stability (>1000 bending cycles), capable of responding to finger motions, voice recognition, and human pulses; through further employment as the array unit and a control circuit, the observed highly adaptive mechano-electric transformability and functions are well maintained. Overall, a facile and versatile strategy with the potential to provide clues for the fabrication of cellulose-based FPSs with outstanding performance was introduced.