Silicone‐Ionic Liquid Elastomer Composite with Keratin as Reinforcing Agent Utilized as Pressure Sensor

摘要

Abstract Development of a flexible pressure sensor is crucial for the future improvement of the wearable electronic devices designed to detect dynamic human motion. In this study, a novel pressure sensor with remarkably improved force sensing characteristics is obtained through combined usage of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and ionic liquid (IL). Keratin is dispersed homogeneously in the PDMS matrix to serve as a reinforcing filler. High conductivity IL is employed as sensitivity‐enhancing constituent in the elastomer, and the effect of the amount of IL on elastomers’ pressure‐sensing performance is investigated. The elastomer with 70 parts per hundred rubber (phr) IL shows excellent pressure‐sensing performance. This novel pressure sensor demonstrates high linear sensitivity (0.037 kPa −1 ) in the large pressure region of 0–10 kPa. Response and recovery times are 8 and 11 ms, respectively, which are much shorter than previously reported. Moreover, the pressure sensor could distinguish different pressures via stable sensing signals in the pressure range of 0 to 50 kPa. The excellent performance of the novel pressure sensor has application potential in various fields, such as health monitoring and soft robotics.