Highly Conductive and Sensitive Wearable Strain Sensors with Metal/Nanoparticle Double Layer for Noninterference Voice Detection

Human voice recognition via skin-attachable devices has significant potential for gathering important physiological information from acoustic data without background noise interference. In this study, a highly sensitive and conductive wearable crack-based strain sensor was developed for voice-recognition systems. The sensor was fabricated using a double-layer structure of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) and Ag metal on a biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The top metal layer acts as a conducting active layer, whereas the bottom Ag NP layer induces channel cracks in the upper layer, effectively hindering current flow. Subsequently, the double-layer film exhibits a low electrical resistance value (<5 × 10^-5 Ω cm), ultrahigh sensitivity (gauge factor = 1870), and a fast response/recovery time (252/168 μs). A sound wave was detected at a high frequency of 15 kHz with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over 40 dB. The sensor exhibited excellent anti-interference characteristics and effectively differentiated between different voice qualities (modal, pressed, and breathy), with a systematic analysis revealing successful detection of the laryngeal state and glottal source. This ultrasensitive wearable sensor has potential applications in various physiological signal measurement methods, personalized healthcare systems, and ubiquitous computing.