Fabrication of a Conductive Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-Coated Polyester Nonwoven Fabric and Its Application in Flexible Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-coated nonwoven fabric (PEDOT@NWF) composites were prepared using ordinary polyester needle-punched nonwoven fabrics as substrates via in situ vapor phase polymerization (VPP) technique. The prepared PEDOT@NWF conductive composite has a uniform PEDOT coating on the surface of the fibers. Factors which may affect the polymerization effect, such as oxidant concentration, reaction time, and other parameters were explored, and a series of morphological, structural, and electrical properties of the prepared conductive nonwoven fabrics were analyzed. Furthermore, for comparison, piezoresistive pressure sensors with two different assembly methods (vertical electrode and horizontal electrode) were made utilizing the PEDOT@NWF material. The pressure sensing performance has also been evaluated and the as-prepared sensors exhibit good sensitivity and fast response time.