Flexible pressure and temperature dual-modality sensor based on stretchable electrode for human–machine interaction

Abstract Although flexible sensors have been widely used in areas such as human–computer interaction and electronic skin with their sensitive response and excellent robustness, their fabrication process remains complex and expensive. In addition, the flexible pressure sensor can only detect a single pressure. This paper presents a dual-mode pressure and temperature sensor with complementary layers based on stretchable electrodes. The templates required for sensor production are simple, easy to make and inexpensive. Comparing pressure sensors without complementary layers improves the sensitivity of devices with complementary layers more than 2.5 times. In addition, the pressure sensor enables dual-mode testing of pressure and temperature by modifying the complementary layer’s material while keeping the structure unchanged. The temperature sensor demonstrates pressure insensitivity and cyclic stability. The sensor shown some practical applications, such as finger pressing, gesture recognition, arm bending, and Morse code. Finally, sensors were integrated into the mechanical gripper to detect pressure and temperature during gripping. This work provides a promising way to improve the performance of flexible pressure sensors with easily prepared structures and to increase the integration of pressure and temperature dual-mode sensors, with great potential for applications in human–computer interaction and electronic skin.