Flexible Self-Powered Ionic Gel Pressure Sensors from Polyacrylonitrile for Wearable Motion and Physiological Monitoring

作者：Shuo Yan, Changqu Shi, Chao Zhao, Shifeng Wang, Xing Liu, Chaozhe Feng, Yanan Shi, Yaqian Zhang, Jie Chen, Haibo Sun, Yinpeng Liu, Wenyu Wang · 发表于：ACS Applied Polymer Materials · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1021/acsapm.5c02879 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials、Conducting polymers and applications、Dielectric materials and actuators

Flexible self-powered pressure sensors have attracted attention for wearable electronics, particularly in real-time monitoring of human motion and physiological signals. Here, we present a high-performance pressure sensor based on a composite membrane consisting of polyacrylonitrile/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PAN/MWCNTs) and an ionic gel layer. The integration of electrospun PAN/MWCNTs nanofibers with the ionic gel matrix synergistically enhances piezoelectric output, pressure sensitivity, and detection range. At an optimal MWCNT content of 2 wt %, the device achieves a maximum output voltage of 14 V and current of 40 μA, along with a 96% relative resistance change under 100 kPa. The composite structure facilitates improved interfacial contact, molecular orientation, and charge transport, leading to significantly enhanced piezoresistive performance compared to single-component configurations. Importantly, the device operates in a self-powered mode by directly converting mechanical stimuli into electrical signals, exhibiting excellent sensitivity (7.20 kPa –1 for pressures <10 kPa), a wide detection range up to 100 kPa, and long-term operational stability (maintaining output over 5700 s). The sensor effectively detects subtle physiological signals and complex motion patterns. A 5 × 5 sensor array enables high-resolution spatial pressure mapping and even recognition of Chinese characters formed by applied loads. This work provides a simple yet effective strategy for designin...