Temperature-Pressure Hybrid Sensing All-Organic Stretchable Energy Harvester

Abstract

The design and development of intrinsically stretchable all-organic self-powered sensors concurrently perceiving temperature and pressure remain a challenge but deliver an exciting platform to realize environmentally friendly wearable electronics. In this approach, a biomimetic all-organic stretchable energy harvester is designed by a xylitol-added poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS/Xyl) film as a compatible overlay electrode with polyaniline-reinforced one-dimensional aligned poly(vinylidene fluoride) hybrid electroactive soft nanowires. The gradient of elastic modulus between the electrode and the active nanowire component enables the all-organic device to manifest excellent power-generating performance under external temperature fluctuation (similar to 3 mu W/m(2) under Delta T similar to 92 K) and mechanical force (similar to 31 mu W/cm(2) at 30 N). Importantly, the device renders simultaneous energy scavenging of temperature and pressure changes under pressing and stretching conditions (similar to 20%). The excellent mechanosensitivity (similar to 100 mV/N), fast response time (similar to 1 ms), outstanding mechanical and thermal stability, and good temperature resolution <10 K enable the harvester to act as an epidermal sensor, which simultaneously detects and discriminates both subtle pressure and thermal deviations exposed to an epidermis surface. The real-time recording and wireless transferring of physiological signals to a smartphone indicate an effective way to realize remote healthcare monitoring for early intervention.