Development of Conductive Carbon Black-Embedded PVDF Composites for Detection of Temperature

The monitoring of body temperature is critical for assessing the health conditions of a critically ill patient. Flexible temperature sensors provide direct contact with human skin, ensuring stable and continuous monitoring of a person’s body temperature. In this study, an affordable and readily available polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was used as the polymer matrix for fabricating a wearable temperature sensor. Through a simple solution mixing process, both conductive carbon black (CB) and ionic liquid were uniformly dispersed in the flexible PVDF composite for enhancing its conductivity and stability. The influence of CB addition amounts was investigated with respect to surface morphology, microstructure, and properties. The results showed that the composite with 6% CB addition had the highest sensitivity of 3.07%/°C, with a minimum detectable temperature difference of 1°C and short response/recovery times of 6.66 s/15.63 s at Δ T  = 10°C. Additionally, the response/recovery curves of this device demonstrated good cycle stability. Furthermore, the sensor retained its superior performance even after extended operational periods, confirming the long-term stability and reliability of this thin-film sensor. The sensor shows great promise for physiological signal detection and holds substantial potential for applications in wearable electronics. This work offers a new possibility for the low-cost, large-scale fabrication of flexible temperature sensors in the future. Graphical