Design and force sensing performance study of flexible pressure sensor based on crosslinked PVC gel

Abstract

PVC gel, a dielectric material, is suitable for constructing flexible sensors due to its excellent flexibility. Herein, diisononyl ester of cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid was thermally blended with PVC to develop a transparent, stretchable, self-powered, flexible cross-linked PVC gel piezoelectric sensor. The performance of this sensor under various preparation conditions was investigated. Results indicated that PVC gel possesses excellent mechanical properties and low-temperature stability. The PVC gel-based sensor produced an output signal of 0.1196 μA, which is ten times greater than that of PVC gel prepared without exposure to an electric field. The piezoelectric properties of PVC gel are significantly enhanced by the application of an electric field, due to the injection of real charges and the increased orientation of molecular chains, which together boost the effective dipole moment. Additionally, the cross-linked PVC gel sensor maintains excellent low-temperature stability and responds reliably to pressure without requiring complex components. PVC gel sensors, being structurally simple, easily prepared, and inherently stable, offer broad application prospects in wearable electronic devices.