FLEXIBLE AND BIODEGRADABLE SENSORS: MATERIALS, MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY AND DEVICES ON ITS BASIS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20535/kpisn.2021.2.229964

Keywords:

flexible sensors, biodegradable electronics, nanocellulose

Abstract

Background. Currently, there is a significant number of technologies and materials in the world that are used to manufacture flexible electronics devices. Therefore, a review of various technologies and materials for the manufacture of flexible sensors, which would not be inferior in terms of sensitivity to their solid-state counterparts, is in demand. In addition, most modern flexible electronics technologies are based on the use of artificial polymers, the production of which pollutes the environment and which need to be disposed of at the end of its service life. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find an alternative to artificial polymers, environmentally friendly material.

Objective. The purpose of the paper is to determine design and technological features of manufacturing and application of flexible and biodegradable electronic sensors.

Methods. The article analyses, classifies and compares different technologies and materials for the manufacture of flexible sensors, which would not be inferior to their solid-state counterparts in terms of sensitivity. The technological features of synthesis and the main characteristics of flexible sensors made on the basis of artificial and biodegradable materials were also compared in the paper.

Results. The design and technological features of manufacturing as well as application of flexible electronic sensors in comparison with their solid-state analogues were determined in the paper. Three groups of substrate materials that can be used for the synthesis of flexible sensors have been identified and their performance characteristics analysed. A comparison of different production techniques for flexible electronic sensors in terms of environmental friendliness, cost and manufacturability is carried out.

Conclusions. The most promising biodegradable material, on the surface of which one can create a flexible sensor, is nanocellulose. Different types of printing are the most promising production technique for the manufacture of such devices, because they are cheap and can provide high productivity. Based on the obtained results, it is possible to improve the existing and develop new methods of creating flexible electronics devices that do not require recycling.

References

ScienceDirect [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com

S. Gupta et al., “Ultra-thin silicon based piezoelectric capacitive tactile sensor,” Procedia Eng., vol. 168, pp. 662–665, 2016. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2016.11.242

J. N. Burghartz et al., “Ultra-thin chip technology and applications, a new paradigm in silicon technology,” Solid-State Electron., vol. 54, no. 9, pp. 818–829, 2010. doi: 10.1016/j.sse.2010.04.042

J. Van den Brand et al., “Flexible and stretchable electronics for wearable health devices,” Solid-State Electron., vol. 113, pp. 116–120, 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.sse.2015.05.024

M. Marengo et al., “Flexible temperature and flow sensor from laser-induced graphene,” in 2017 IEEE Sensors, 2017, doi: 10.1109/icsens.2017.8234429

Y. Zhang et al., “Flexible transparent high-voltage diodes for energy management in wearable electronics,” Nano Energy, vol. 40, pp. 289–299, 2017. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.08.025

K. Sakuma, Flexible, Wearable, and Stretchable Electronics. Boca Raton, United States : CRC Press, 2020. doi:10.1201/9780429263941

R.W. Li and G. Liu, Eds., Flexible and Stretchable Electronics: Materials, Designs, and Devices. Boca Raton, United States : Jenny Stanford Publishing, 2019. doi: 10.1201/9780429058905

R. Samal and C.S. Rout, “Wearable and Flexible Sensors Based on 2D and Nanomaterials,” in Fundamentals and Sensing Applications of 2D Materials, M. Hywel et al., Eds. Woodhead Publishing, 2019, pp. 437–463. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-08-102577-2.00012-9

J-W. Lee et al., “High sensitivity flexible paper temperature sensor and body-attachable patch for thermometers,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 313, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2020.112205

J. Courbat et al., “Inkjet printing on paper for the realization of humidity and temperature sensors,” in 16th Int. Solid-State Sensors, Actuators Microsystems Conf., 2011, pp. 1356–1359.

Y.H. Jung et al., “High-performance green flexible electronics based on biodegradable cellulose nanofibril paper,” Nature Commun., vol. 6, no. 1, 7170, 2015. doi:10.1038/ncomms8170

M. Jedrzejczak-Krzepkowska et al., “Bacterial NanoCellulose Synthesis, Recent Findings,” in Bacterial Nanocellulose. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2017, pp. 19–46. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63458-0.00002-0

S. Öztürk and N. Kılınç, “Pd thin films on flexible substrate for hydrogen sensor,” J. Alloys Compounds, vol. 674, pp. 179–184, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2016.03.042

Y.-Q. Tang et al., “Thin film thermocouple fabrication and its application for real-time temperature measurement inside PEMFC,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 141, pp. 1152–1158, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2019.07.048

V. Pandey et al., “Piezoresistive pressure sensor using nanocrystalline silicon thin film on flexible substrate,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 316, p. 112372, 2020. doi:10.1016/j.sna.2020.112372

C. Bali et al., “Fully inkjet-printed flexible temperature sensors based on carbon and PEDOT:PSS1,” Mater. Today: Proc., vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 739–745, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2016.02.005

Y. Yang et al., “Flexible piezoelectric pressure sensor based on polydopamine-modified BaTiO3/PVDF composite film for human motion monitoring,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 301, p. 111789, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2019.111789

M. Ma et al., “Self-powered flexible antibacterial tactile sensor based on triboelectric-piezoelectric-pyroelectric multi-effect coupling mechanism,” Nano Energy, vol. 66, p. 104105, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.104105

V. Panwa and G. Anoop, “Flexible piezoresistive strain sensor based on optimized elastomer-electronic polymer blend,” Meas., vol. 168, p. 108406, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.measurement.2020.108406

X. Zhao et al., “Flexible PEDOT:PSS/polyimide aerogels with linearly responsive and stable properties for piezoresistive sensor applications,” Chem. Eng. J., vol. 395, p. 125115, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2020.125115

M.-S. Tsai et al., “Fabrication of a highly sensitive flexible humidity sensor based on Pt/polythiophene/reduced graphene oxide ternary nanocomposite films using a simple one-pot method,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 324, p. 128728, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.128728

H.J. Kim and Y.J. Kim, “High performance flexible piezoelectric pressure sensor based on CNTs-doped 0–3 ceramic-epoxy nanocomposites,” Mater. & Des., vol. 151, pp. 133–140, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.matdes.2018.04.048

W. He et al., “Flexible single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerators with MXene/PDMS composite film for biomechanical motion sensors,” Nano Energy, vol. 78, p. 105383, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105383

Y.-W. Cai et al., “A flexible ultra-sensitive triboelectric tactile sensor of wrinkled PDMS/MXene composite films for E-skin,” Nano Energy, vol. 81, p. 105663, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105663

S. Ali et al., “Flexible and passive photo sensor based on perylene/graphene composite,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 220, pp. 634–640, 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2015.05.128

H. Zhu et al., “Bending strain induced photocurrent crossover from positive to negative in the flexible organic phototransistors,” Organic Electron., vol. 79, p. 105614, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.orgel.2019.105614

H. Jeong et al., “Highly stable and sensitive resistive flexible humidity sensors by means of roll-to-roll printed electrodes and flower-like TiO2 nanostructures,” Ceramics Int., vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 985–992, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2018.09.276

Y. K. Kim et al., “ZnO nanostructure electrodeposited on flexible conductive fabric: A flexible photo-sensor,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 240, pp. 1106–1113, 2017. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2016.09.072

C. Wang et al., “Large scale synthesis and gas-sensing properties of anatase TiO2 Three-dimensional hierarchical nanostructures,” Langmuir, vol. 26, no. 15, pp. 12841–12848, 2010. doi: 10.1021/la100910u

L. Lan et al., “One-step and large-scale fabrication of flexible and wearable humidity sensor based on laser-induced graphene for real-time tracking of plant transpiration at bio-interface,” Biosensors Bioelectron., vol. 165, p. 112360, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2020.112360

A.S. Tanenbaum, Structured Computer Organization. London, CA: Pearson, 2015.

A. Kafy et al., “Cellulose nanocrystal/graphene oxide composite film as humidity sensor,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 247, pp. 221–226, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2016.05.045

Y. Huang et al., “High-resolution flexible temperature sensor based graphite-filled polyethylene oxide and polyvinylidene fluoride composites for body temperature monitoring,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 278, pp. 1–10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2018.05.024

M.D. Dankoco et al., “Temperature sensor realized by inkjet printing process on flexible substrate,” Mater. Sci. Eng.: B, vol. 205, pp. 1–5, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.mseb.2015.11.003

A. Aliane et al., “Enhanced printed temperature sensors on flexible substrate,” Microelectron. J., vol. 45, no. 12, pp. 1621–1626, 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.mejo.2014.08.011

Z. Liu et al., “A temperature sensor based on flexible substrate with ultra-high sensitivity for low temperature measurement,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 315, p. 112341, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2020.112341

Ju.M. Poplavko, Physics of the isolators: handbook, Kyiv, Ukraine: NTUU «KPI», 2015.

Y. Suna et al., “Flexible piezoelectric energy harvester/sensor with high voltage output over wide temperature range,” Nano Energy, vol. 61, pp. 337–345, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.04.055

N.-I. Kim et al., “Piezoelectric pressure sensor based on flexible gallium nitride thin film for harsh-environment and high-temperature applications,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 305, p. 111940, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2020.111940

H. Yuan et al., “Flexible electronic skins based on piezoelectric nanogenerators and piezotronics,” Nano Energy, vol. 59, pp. 84–90, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.01.072

J. He et al., “Trampoline inspired stretchable triboelectric nanogenerators as tactile sensors for epidermal electronics,” Nano Energy, vol. 81, p. 105590, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105590

H. Askari et al., “A flexible tube-based triboelectric–electromagnetic sensor for knee rehabilitation assessment,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 279, pp. 694–704, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2018.05.016

H. Askari et al., “A flexible hybridized electromagnetic-triboelectric multi-purpose self-powered sensor,” Nano Energy, vol. 45, pp. 319–329, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2018.01.011

V. Ferrari and M. Prudenziati, “Printed thick-film capacitive sensors,” in Printed Films. Illinois: Woodhead, 2012, pp. 193–220. doi: 10.1533/9780857096210.2.193

H. Zhu et al., “Influences of compression cycles on piezocapacitive effect of carbon black filled silicone rubber composite,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 271, pp. 192–200, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2017.12.059

X. Wang et al., “Flexible and low-voltage phototransistor based on novel self-assembled phosphonic acids monolayers,” Synth. Metals, vol. 269, p. 116563, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.synthmet.2020.116563

R.A. Talib et al., “ZnO nanorods/polyaniline heterojunctions for low-power flexible light sensors,” Materials Chem. Phys., vol. 181, pp. 7–11, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2016.06.061

C.W. Jang et al., “Highly-flexible and -stable deep-ultraviolet photodiodes made of graphene quantum dots sandwiched between graphene layers” Dyes Pigments, vol. 163, pp. 238–242, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.dyepig.2018.12.005

E. Kraker et al., “Organic photodiodes on flexible substrates,” Thin Solid Films, vol. 518, no. 4, pp. 1214–1217, 2009. doi: 10.1016/j.tsf.2009.03.228

L.L. Lavery et al., “All ink-jet printed polyfluorene photosensor for high illuminance detection,” Organic Electron., vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 682–685, 2011. doi: 10.1016/j.orgel.2011.01.023

S. Li et al., “Flexible semitransparent perovskite solar cells with gradient energy levels enable efficient tandems with Cu(In,Ga)Se2,” Nano Energy, vol. 78, p. 105378, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105378

J.-H. Kim et al., “Flexible and low power CO gas sensor with Au-functionalized 2D WS2 nanoflakes,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 313, p. 128040, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.128040

A. Molina et al., “A review on hybrid and flexible CO2 gas sensors,” Synthetic Metals, vol. 270, p. 116602, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.synthmet.2020.116602

A. Gusain et al., “Flexible NO gas sensor based on conducting polymer poly[N -9′-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT),” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 239, pp. 734–745, 2017. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2016.07.176

Z. Yang et al., “Flexible resistive NO2 gas sensor of three-dimensional crumpled MXene Ti3C2Tx/ZnO spheres for room temperature application,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 326, p. 128828, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.128828

H.J. Park et al., “Highly flexible, mechanically stable, and sensitive NO2 gas sensors based on reduced graphene oxide nanofibrous mesh fabric for flexible electronics,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 257, pp. 846–852, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2017.11.032

X. Li et al., “Toward agricultural ammonia volatilization monitoring: A flexible polyaniline/Ti3C2T hybrid sensitive films based gas sensor,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 316, p. 128144, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.128144

, Y. Zhang et al., “Ultrasensitive flexible NH3 gas sensor based on polyaniline/SrGe4O9 nanocomposite with ppt-level detection ability at room temperature,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 319, p. 128293, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.128293

D. Zhang et al., “Flexible and highly sensitive H2S gas sensor based on in-situ polymerized SnO2/rGO/PANI ternary nanocomposite with application in halitosis diagnosis,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 289, pp. 32–41, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2019.03.055

M.A. Zahed et al., “Highly flexible and conductive poly (3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly (styrene sulfonate) anchored 3-dimensional porous graphene network-based electrochemical biosensor for glucose and pH detection in human perspiration,” Biosensors Bioelectron., vol. 160, p. 112220, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2020.112220

V. Koval et al., “Application of nanocellulose in humidity sensors for biodegradable electronics” in 2020 IEEE 10th Int. Conf. Nanomaterials: Applications & Properties (NAP), 2020, pp. 1–5. doi: 10.1109/NAP51477.2020.9309598

J.R. Ansari et al., “Nanocellulose-based materials/composites for sensors,” in Nanocellulose Based Composites for Electronics. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2021, pp. 185–214. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-822350-5.00008-4

T. Naghdi et al., “Nanopaper-based sensors,” in Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry, vol. 89, 2020, pp. 257–312. doi: 10.1016/bs.coac.2020.02.003

Y. Guo et al., “Engineering thermally and electrically conductive biodegradable polymer nanocomposites,” Composites Part B: Eng., vol. 189, p. 107905, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2020.107905

M. Seck et al., “Organic FETs using biodegradable almond gum as gate dielectric: A promising way towards green electronics,” Organic Electron., vol. 83, p. 105735, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.orgel.2020.105735

V.A. Barbash et al., “Preparation and properties of nanocellulose from organosolv straw pulp,” Nanoscale Res. Lett., vol. 12, no. 1, 2017. doi: 10.1186/s11671-017-2001-4

R. Tong et al., “Highly transparent, weakly hydrophilic and biodegradable cellulose film for flexible electroluminescent devices,” Carbohydr. Polym., vol. 227, p. 115366, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115366

M. Khalifa et al., “Smart paper from graphene coated cellulose for high-performance humidity and piezoresistive force sensor,” Synthetic Metals, vol. 266, p. 116420, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.synthmet.2020.116420

Y. Yao et al., “Facile fabrication of high sensitivity cellulose nanocrystals based QCM humidity sensors with asymmetric electrode structure,” Sensors Actuators B: Chem., vol. 302, p. 127192, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2019.127192

Z. Duan et al., “Halloysite nanotubes: Natural, environmental-friendly and low-cost nanomaterials for high-performance humidity sensor,” Sens. Actuator B Chem., vol. 317, p. 128204, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.128204

A. Kafy et al., “Cellulose nanocrystal/graphene oxide composite film as humidity sensor,” Sensors Actuators A: Phys., vol. 247, pp. 221–226, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2016.05.045

S. Xu et al., “Nanocellulose-assisted dispersion of graphene to fabricate poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene nanocomposite for humidity sensing,” Composites Sci. Technol., vol. 131, pp. 67–76, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.compscitech.2016.05.014

M. Khalifa et al., “Smart paper from graphene coated cellulose for high-performance humidity and piezoresistive force sensor,” Synthetic Metals, vol. 266, p. 116420, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.synthmet.2020.116420

J. Yan et al., “Flexible and high-sensitivity piezoresistive sensor based on MXene composite with wrinkle structure,” Ceram. Int., vol. 46, no. 15, pp. 23592–23598, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.06.131

Downloads

Published

2021-08-31

Issue

No. 2 (2021)

Section

Статті

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Vladyslav A. Lapshuda, Viktoriia M. Koval

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The ownership of copyright remains with the Authors.
 
Authors may use their own material in other publications provided that the Journal is acknowledged as the original place of publication and National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” as the Publisher.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under CC BY 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work