Wearable and visual pressure sensors based on Zn2GeO4@polypyrrole nanowire aerogels

Abstract

Recently developed hybrid aerogels have attracted a great deal of attention due to their promising applications in artificial intelligence systems and wearable healthcare devices. However, the actual applications of these aerogels in such devices is still limited because most nanowire (NW) skeletons in hybrid aerogels are usually based on noble metals, which entail a series of limitations such as high cost and poor resistance to acids. Herein, pressure sensors with high sensitivity (0.38 kPa⁻¹ in the pressure range below 1 kPa) were fabricated from Zn₂GeO₄@polypyrrole NW aerogels. In addition, a universal wet-chemistry method was developed to prepare Zn₂GeO₄@polypyrrole NW aerogels with remarkable electrical and mechanical properties, leading to the excellent performance of the pressure sensors. Moreover, the stability of the as-obtained pressure sensors was tested by performing thousands of cycles, concluding that the pressure sensor exhibits long-time efficiency on active utilization. All these advantages make the Zn₂GeO₄@polypyrrole NW aerogel-based pressure sensor an excellent candidate in many applications for flexible and wearable devices.