All-plastic distributed pressure sensors: taylor-made performance by electroactive materials design

A new technology of flexible all-plastic pressure sensors is developed using conducting polymers as electroactive materials on plastic substrates. The lithographically patterning of one of the conducting sheets being part of the device makes feasible the construction of a distributed pressure sensor giving not only the quantitative pressure information but also its spatial distribution. A response time as low as 2 ms, and a lifetime over 1 millions of actuations are obtained. The first demonstrators work in pressure ranges from 30 to 1,200 g/cm². These working pressure ranges can be adjusted, on the one hand by the proper spatial design of conducting and non-conducting paths; on the other hand, by the adequate design of the electroactive material in terms of conductivity, film morphology and composition. The present paper describes the development of an innovative, low cost and flexible technology opening interesting potential opportunities for high-surface applications.