Tactile sensing arrays play a crucial role in human-machine interaction, robotics, and artificial intelligence by enabling the perception of physical stimuli on robotic surfaces or human skin. However, skin-attachable sensor arrays still suffer from strain interference and signal crosstalk under stretching or bending, particularly on curved or deformable surfaces. Here, we present a stretchable tactile array that is both strain-insensitive and crosstalk-suppressed, achieved via a hierarchically segmented design that mitigates lateral and vertical deformations synergistically. By tessellating hard and compliant elements within encapsulation layers, stretch deformation in the sensing region is reduced by 79%, and the overall mean stress is decreased by over 90%. Multilevel segmented spacers are proposed to provide vertical support while maintaining stretchability. These synergistic designs achieve comprehensive strain insensitivity (75% stretching insensitivity and bending insensitivity) and ultralow crosstalk (31.82 dB). Furthermore, iontronic porous foams are introduced to endow sensing pixels with high linearity (R2 = 0.985) and sensitivity (2.812 kPa–1). We demonstrate accurate tactile information acquisition on soft, curved human fingers and showcase the array’s potential for multi-attribute object recognition.
Thermotropic monodomain liquid crystal elastomers (mLCEs) exhibit reversible contractile actuation properties along the collimated direction of mesogens when stimulated by external temperature, similar to those of biological skeletal muscle, and have great potential applications in flexible actuators and artificial muscles. However, the existence of flexible chain segments causes mLCEs to elongate under a small load, making calibration under different loads necessary when they are used as an actuator. In this study, a physical crosslinking point between flexible segments is provided through the introduction of designed long-chain molecules (LHS) containing amide bonds on the main chain of LCEs. The 5% LHS-mLCEs with enhanced anti-strain robustness achieved essentially constant original length over a range of loads (0–0.25 MPa) and maintained a reversible contraction ratio of 39.4%, comparable to biological skeletal muscle. Furthermore, a nonreconfigurable topological structure of a metal electrothermal layer with lossless compression properties was designed and prepared on the surface of mLCEs. The film actuators exhibit higher frequency oscillatory actuation (0.1 Hz 9.2%; 0.2 Hz 6.3%; 0.5 Hz 2%) relative to previously reported actuators, benefitting from the optimized heat dissipation structure of LCEs/Ag/air. This study provides valuable references and ideas for applying thermotropic mLCEs in practice.
MXene aerogels, known for good electrical properties, offer immense potential for the development of high-sensitivity pressure sensors. However, the intrinsic challenges stemming from the poor self-assembly capability and high hydrophilicity of MXene impede the natural drying process of MXene-based hydrogels, thereby constraining their application on a large scale in sensor technology. Herein, a graphene-assisted approach aimed at modulating the hydrophobicity and enhancing framework strength of MXene through a well-designed prefreezing technique incorporating 3D spherical macroporous structures is proposed. This synergistic strategy enables the fabrication of naturally dried MXene aerogels across various size scales. Moreover, the integration of 3D spherical macroporous structures improves elasticity and electrical responsiveness of aerogels. Consequently, the aerogel sensor exhibits great performances, including high sensitivity (1250 kPa −1 ), low detection limit (0.4 Pa), wide frequency response range (0.1–8 Hz), and excellent stability (1000 cycles). This sensor proves adept at monitoring pressure signals ranging from lightweight paper to human motion. Additionally, the application of customized laser engraving endows aerogels with unique functionalities, such as compressibility and immunity to strain, stretchability and resistance to compression, as well as wind detection. Thus, the proposed approach holds significant promise as a scalable method for the mass production of aerogels with versatile applications.
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）