Customizable self-powered pressure sensor based on piezo-transmittance of tilted structures

Abstract

In the era of the Internet of Things, there is an increasing demand for specialized self-powered sensors owing to extensive applications involving an enormous number of distributed devices in numerous fields. However, realizing self-powered sensors with excellent predictability and designability to accommodate diverse application requirements remains a significant challenge because of the randomness of the nanomaterials or micro/ nano-porous structures used. This report describes the development of a customizable and designable selfpowered pressure sensor based on the piezo-transmittance of opaque tilted structures. The light transmittance decreases with increasing pressure owing to the deformation of tilted structures. Piezo-transmittance sensors with various linear ranges were customized by rationally designing Young's moduli and structural parameters and optimizing cross-sectional architectures of tilted structures. The pressure sensor was fabricated by molding on 3D-printed master patterns comprising various tilted structures. Each customized sensor exhibits excellent static and dynamic responses, and responses are unaffected by light intensity, ambient temperature, and humidity. Finally, the piezo-transmittance sensors were applied to a self-powered wireless breath monitoring system that integrated flexible solar cell and Bluetooth Low Energy, an all-weather wind detection system with simultaneous signal processing and energy harvesting, and a real-time control system for teleoperated a robotic manipulation.