One-step chemical treatment to design an ideal nanospacer structure for a highly sensitive and transparent pressure sensor

Ho Kun Woo, Haneun Kim, Sanghyun Jeon, Woo Seok Lee, Junhyuk Ahn, Junsung Bang, Min Su Kang, Soong Ju Oh

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    21 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Highly transparent and sensitive pressure sensors with a wide detection range were developed by a simple process using silver nanowires and ZnO nanocrystals (NCs) without lithography. The open mesh structured spacers were sucessfully designed by one-step chemical treatment involving a ligand exchange process on the ZnO NC thin films, leading to improved sensitivity, responsivity and transparency. The device performance analyses along with chemical, structural, and electronic characterization studies reveal that the chemically designed pressure sensor has a record-breaking sensitivity of 3.23 × 103 kPa-1, a large detection range of up to 75 kPa, excellent reliability, and high transparency of 85% in the visible-light region. The origin of improved sensitivity was explained with the contact area variation theory. We also demonstrate that the pressure sensor fabricated by the all-solution-based facile process can be employed in various applications such as wearable sensors for measurement of the human pulse and attachable electronics for an electronic skin with a wide sensing range of pressures.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)5059-5066
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Materials Chemistry C
    Volume7
    Issue number17
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemistry
    • Materials Chemistry

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