Ultra-sensitive flexible pressure sensor with hierarchical structural laser-induced carbon nanosheets/carbon nanotubes composite film

Recently, laser induced carbon nanosheets (LICs) based flexible pressure sensors have received widespread attention. Introducing hierarchical microstructure is an effective method to improve the sensitivity of pressure sensors. However, implementing hierarchical microstructure on LICs film through a simple and low damage process remains a challenge. Herein, taking advantage of the reshaping characteristics of low melting point thermoplastic substrate styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) under laser thermal effects, a simple and one-step laser thermoforming process is used to spontaneously form surface microstructure on the LICs film during the formation of LICs. Therefore, a hierarchical structure composed of porous structure and surface microstructure was achieved on the LICs film through the one-step process. Furthermore, a hybrid strategy combining hierarchical microstructure with carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/LICs composite was proposed to improve the sensitivity of LICs based pressure sensor. Benefiting from the hierarchical structure of LICs and the composite conductive network constructed by CNTs and LICs, the LICs/CNTs@SIS sensor exhibits ultrahigh sensitivity of 1089 kPa⁻¹ in 0–5 kPa and ultrahigh gauge factor of 1493 within the strain rate range of 20%–28%. Meanwhile, the sensor has good stability (>1400 cycles), response and recovery times of 23.8 ms and 25.9 ms, excellent reversibility, and 1220% elongation at break. Besides, the application of the sensor in physiological signal monitoring and pressure distribution detection indicates its great potential in flexible electronics.