Highly Pressure-Sensitive Electronic Skin Based on the Synergistic Effect of a Microfiber Mesh/Rough-Surfaced Carbon Film/Microstructural Poly(dimethylsiloxane).

Abstract

Graphene (G) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received increasing attention in the fabrication of electronic skins (E-skins) because of their outstanding electrical properties and stability. In this work, a highly pressure-sensitive (P-S) E-skin is prepared using a thermally reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/CNT composite film, interdigital electrodes (IDEs) with a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) microfiber mesh (T-IDEs), and microstructural poly(dimethylsiloxane) (M-PDMS). The gauge factor (GF) of the E-skin reached 13.18 kPa^-1 within the pressure range of 5-4005 Pa, demonstrating its high sensitivity, which can be attributed to the rapid increase in the variation rate of the contact area between the composite film and IDEs as well as within the film. In addition, the E-skin maintained outstanding stability after 5000 loading-unloading cycles at a pressure of 18,005 Pa. On the basis of the prepared E-skins, intelligent nondestructive grasping of objects was realized in combination with a visual recognition module, as well as human motion and physiological signals were also monitored.