The growing demand for flexible electronic devices has made it more urgent to develop sensors with high sensitivity and linearity. Due to the linear increase in resistance induced by irreversible structural damage under tensile strain, existing stretchable strain sensors are unable to perfectly achieve both characteristics simultaneously.

Recently, Professor Lai Wenyong and others from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications published a research paper in Science China Materials, proposing a novel hierarchical interconnect structure that combines surface wrinkles and bulk phase gradient pores.

 main points

1) By utilizing the hydrothermal activation mechanism to precisely control the nanoscale fold spacing, a bulk phase gradient porous structure is constructed by regulating the thermodynamic and kinetic behavior in phase separation. Anisotropic characteristics are achieved by changing the curvature on both sides of the device, and the effectiveness of various designs is thoroughly studied, quantifying the effective contribution of geometric structures to sensitivity and tracking morphological evolution.

2) Based on the significant sensitivity and anisotropy of the device, the prepared sensor can effectively monitor static and dynamic displacement, surface motion, two-dimensional strain signal changes, and predict liquid level changes over time.

This work provides a widely applicable, adaptable, scalable, and cost-effective method for achieving high-quality perception capabilities.

Source: Sensor Expert Network