Ultrasensitive and Durable CCA/TPU Nanofiber Membrane Pressure Sensors for Multifunctional Applications: From Physiological Monitoring to Impact Protection

The rapid growth of the smart wearable device market has driven an increasing demand for advanced materials and sensing technologies that offer high sensitivity and stability. Herein, we report the development of a lightweight, highly sensitive, and wide-range pressure sensor based on a carbonized cellulose acetate (CCA)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofiber membrane, fabricated through high-temperature carbonization and vacuum filtration techniques. By uniformly coating TPU onto the carbonized nanofiber surface, the intrinsic brittleness of the carbonized fibers was effectively mitigated, yielding a flexible and robust hybrid structure. The resulting CCA/TPU pressure sensor exhibits an impressive sensitivity of up to 101.22 kPa⁻¹ across a wide detection range of 0–50 kPa, a rapid response time of 20 ms, a minimal detection limit of 5 Pa, and outstanding durability over 10,000 loading-unloading cycles. This sensor is capable of accurately detecting diverse pressure and strain variations, demonstrating remarkable potential in physiological signal monitoring, motion recognition, emergency signal transmission, and safety protection applications. Notably, the sensor enables real-time recording of impact forces during shock events and provides critical data for evaluating the performance of cushioning materials. Beyond these applications, the conductive carbonized nanofiber membrane offers significant promise in the fields of smart textiles, biomedicine, and environmental monitoring.