Leaf-meridian bio-inspired nanofibrous electronics with uniform distributed microgrid and 3D multi-level structure for wearable applications

The interface between the active electronic and its osculatory target dominates the sensing response of high-sensitivity sensors. However, the interface properties are difficult to be adjusted and preserved owing to the limited strategies for surface engineering. In this work, inspired by nature frond leaf, a spatial multi-level nanofibrous membrane with grid-like microstructure of uniform distribution was fabricated, in which carboxylated carbon nanotubes (CCNTs)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was modified onto the surface of grid-like polyurethane (PU) nanofiber via the combination of metal mesh template, in situ polymerization and ultrasonic treatment. Nanofibrous membrane enables a pressure sensor with high sensitivities (5.13 kPa−1), fast response/recovery time (80 ms and 120 ms), and ultralow detection limit of 1 Pa. In addition, as a scalable and integrable platform, we also demonstrate its multifunctional applications for electro-thermal conversion and energy harvesting. All these results indicate the proposed nanofibrous membrane may potentially be applied to next-generation wearable devices.

Mingxu Wang, Li Dong, Jiajia Wu, Jian Shi, Qiang Gao, Chunhong Zhu, Hideaki Morikawa