High-performance flexible electronics from organic fluorosilicone/carbon composites for low-temperature wearable sensors

Abstract

Flexible wearable sensors often fail in cold and wet environments due to the embrittlement of polymer substrates and the consequent interfacial delamination. Herein, we present a durable composite electrode material designed to overcome this “low-temperature brittleness” challenge. The material is fabricated by spray-coating a conductive carbon paste onto a substrate of organic fluorosilicone synthetic leather, which is synthesized via platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation. With an optimal fluorosilicone oil content of 6 wt%, the composite film exhibits excellent mechanical properties (tensile strength: 14.83 MPa, elongation at break: 296.25%), remarkable hydrophobicity (water contact angle > 128°), and outstanding fatigue resistance. The resulting flexible sensor demonstrates a wide strain sensing range (0.5–20%), high sensitivity, a fast response time (∼0.1 s), and exceptional long-term stability over 200 loading–unloading cycles. Crucially, these performances are well retained even at extremely low temperatures (e.g., −80 °C). Additional interfacial, mechanical, and morphological characterization studies confirm strong adhesion between the conductive layer and the fluorosilicone substrate, as well as excellent mechanical stability under low-temperature conditions. SEM analysis further reveals that the formation of a continuous conductive network and controlled crack evolution under strain are responsible for the stable electromechanical performance. This work provides an effective material strategy for developing reliable wearable electronics capable of operating in harsh environments, with potential applications in health monitoring, human motion detection, and soft robotics.