Integrative Hydrogel-Based Tactile Sensor by Triboelectric and Piezoresistive Effect For Detecting Dynamic and Static Pressure

Abstract

Currently, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG)-based sensors have been widely researched due to their self-powered sensing abilities for detecting the dynamic stimulations. However, most of them cannot monitor the variations of the static forces, such as the constant compression, which are imperative for the human-machine interfaces and intelligent sensors. Herein, a highly deformable and ultra-sensitive hydrogel tactile sensor (HTS) based on both triboelectric and piezoresistive effects is proposed, which provides a brand-new solution for detecting dynamic and static pressure. The triboelectric performance has been significantly boosted further through the micro-patterned structures on the surface of HTS. Moreover, due to the excellent compressible ability and the electrical stability of the ionic hydrogel, the piezoresistive part of HTS could attain a high sensitivity of 0.058 Pa <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">−1</sup> and 0.015 Pa <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">−1</sup> from relatively low to the high-pressure range, respectively. This device brings a promising solution for the comprehensive sensing ability to monitor the complex compressions and shows great application potential for the smart robot and multi-functional sensors in the future.