Shenzhen Advanced Technology Research Institute successfully developed a new type of flexible pressure sensor

[China Instrument Network Instrument R&D] Recently, the advanced electronic packaging material research team headed by Wang Zhengping and Sun Rong of Advanced Materials Research Center of Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new type of flexible pressure sensor.

Polymer colloidal microsphere array and replicated microarray structure PDMS flexible substrate (top); Sensitivity of microbump flexible pressure sensors (middle) and its testing of weak space pressure distribution (bottom).

The flexible pressure sensor is a kind of flexible electronic device for sensing the force acting on the surface of the object. It can be attached to the surface of various irregular objects and has a wide range of application prospects in medical health, robotics, biomechanics and other fields. With the development of science and technology, the ability of flexible pressure sensors to have both flexibility and accurate measurement of pressure distribution information has become the focus of attention. Because the microstructure can not only improve the sensitivity of the sensor, but also can restore the elastic deformation of the sensor more quickly, with rapid response capability. Therefore, constructing micro-structures is an effective way to improve the comprehensive performance of flexible pressure sensors, and has become a focus of attention in academia and industry.

The research team skillfully used the self-assembled array of polymer colloidal microspheres as a template to prepare a flexible substrate with a microbump array through two-step replication. Compared with the traditional lithography method for preparing micro-structured silicon templates, the full-chemical method used in this study does not rely on expensive lithography equipment and complex lithography processes, and has a simple preparation process, low cost, and can pass through the size of colloidal microspheres. The choice to control the size of the flexible substrate micro-bumps and other advantages. The manufactured flexible pressure sensor has high sensitivity, fast response time and good stability, and has strong sensitivity to low pressure pressure.

Relevant results were published on ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, with the topic Flexible and Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensor Based on Microdome-Patterned PDMS Forming with Assistance of Colloid Self-Assembly and Replica Technique for Wearable Electronics.

The research work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Key Laboratory of Key Materials for High-Density Electronic Packaging of Guangdong Province, and the Outstanding Youth Innovation Fund of the Shenzhen Advanced Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

(Original Title: Shenzhen Advanced Institute Prepares a New Flexible Pressure Sensor)