Bioinspired Fluffy Fabric with In Situ Grown Carbon Nanotubes for Ultrasensitive Wearable Airflow Sensor

TLDR

Electronic skin and smart textiles have attracted attention, yet real‑time wearable airflow sensors are rarely reported. The study develops an ultrasensitive, flexible all‑textile airflow sensor with in‑situ grown CNTs mimicking spider fluff. The sensor uses fluffy‑like CNTs on fabric to create a large contact area, achieving an ultralow detection limit (~0.05 m s⁻¹), multi‑angle response, fast response (~1.3 s), and, when paired with a pristine sensor, a wide detection range (0.05–7.0 m s⁻¹). The sensor can transmit Morse code, monitor airflow changes, alert blind users to hazards, be integrated into clothing without compromising comfort, and shows promise for smart textiles and wearable electronics.

Abstract

Abstract Recently, electronic skin and smart textiles have attracted considerable attention. Flexible sensors, as a kind of indispensable components of flexible electronics, have been extensively studied. However, wearable airflow sensors capable of monitoring the environment airflow in real time are rarely reported. Herein, by mimicking the spider's fluff, an ultrasensitive and flexible all‐textile airflow sensor based on fabric with in situ grown carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is developed. The fabric decorated with fluffy‐like CNTs possesses exceptionally large contact area, endowing the airflow sensor with superior properties including ultralow detection limit (≈0.05 m s −1 ), multiangle airflow differential response (0°–90°), and fast response time (≈1.3 s). Besides, the fluffy fabric airflow sensor can be combined with a pristine fabric airflow sensor to realize highly sensitive detection in a wide airflow range (0.05–7.0 m s −1 ). Its potential applications including transmitting information according to Morse code by blowing the sensors, monitoring increasing and decreasing airflow velocity, and alerting blind people walking outside about potential hazard induced by nearby fast‐moving objects are demonstrated. Furthermore, the airflow sensor can be directly integrated into clothing as stylish designs without sacrificing comfortness. It is believed that the ultrasensitive all‐textile airflow sensor holds great promise for applications in smart textiles and wearable electronics.