Flexible iontronic sensors with high-precision and high-sensitivity detection for pressure and temperature

Flexible sensor with high precision and sensitivity in detecting pressure and temperature is highly desired. Herein, we design a flexible iontronic sensor by sandwiching a sandpaper-like ionogel layer between two silver nanowires-loaded polymeric nanofiber films. The obtained sensor can serve as a flexible pressure sensor with high precision (1.18 Pa), high sensitivity (106.01 kPa−1), wide measuring range (0–77 kPa), fast response/recovery time (16 ms/25 ms), and good stability over 2000 cycles because of the continuous change in the contract between electrode and dielectric layer under pressure and the formation of electric double layer between them. Owing to these excellent merits in pressure sense, the as-prepared sensor can real-time monitor tiny pressure caused by pulse, facial movements, and swallowing. More interestingly, this sensor can also serve as a temperature sensor, which has outstanding integrated performance of high precision of 0.02 °C, high sensitivity of 28.1% °C−1 (20–40 °C), wide operating window from −40 °C to 80 °C, superb repeatability and reliability, attributing to the monotonous relationship between the dielectric constant of TPU/IL ionogel and temperature. The designed sensor has bright prospects in flexible electronics and electronic skins for monitoring human health and human motion.