All-Fabric Ultrathin Capacitive Sensor with High Pressure Sensitivity and Broad Detection Range for Electronic Skin

TLDR

Flexible pressure sensors are essential for wearable devices, yet achieving high sensitivity—especially at low pressures—remains difficult while maintaining conformability, air permeability, and durability. The authors aim to develop a highly sensitive, ultrathin capacitive pressure sensor (AFCS) using a breathable all‑fabric network with a micropatterned nanofiber dielectric layer. The AFCS achieves this through a breathable all‑fabric structure and micropatterned nanofiber dielectric, enabling ultrathinness and high sensitivity. The AFCS delivers exceptional performance with 8.31 kPa⁻¹ sensitivity at 1 kPa, a 0.5 Pa detection limit, a 0.5 Pa–80 kPa range, 10 000 robust cycles, and promising applications in breathing, muscle activity, fingertip pressure, and spatial pressure mapping.

Abstract

Flexible pressure sensors have emerged as an indispensable part of wearable devices due to their application in physiological activity monitoring. To realize long-term on-body service, they are increasingly required for properties of conformability, air permeability, and durability. However, the enhancement of sensitivity remains a challenge for ultrathin capacitive sensors, particularly in the low-pressure region. Here, we introduced a highly sensitive and ultrathin capacitive pressure sensor based on a breathable all-fabric network with a micropatterned nanofiber dielectric layer, an all-fabric capacitive sensor (AFCS). This all-fabric network endows a series of exceptional performances, such as high sensitivity (8.31 kPa–1 under 1 kPa), ultralow detection limit (0.5 Pa), wide detection range (0.5 Pa to 80 kPa), and excellent robustness (10 000 dynamic cycles). Besides, the all-fabric structure provides other properties for the AFCS, e.g., high skin conformability, super thinness (dozens of micrometers), and exceptional air permeability. Our AFCS shows promising potential in breathing track, muscle activity detection, fingertip pressure monitoring, and spatial pressure distribution, paving way for comfortable skinlike epidermal electronics.