Flexible Pressure Arrays With a Wide Linear Response Range Constructed via Reactive‐Window Microreplication for Lightweight Plantar Pressure Monitoring System

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Authors: Wei Wang, Chuanxi Lin, Jiatong Yan, Hong Tang, Songyue Pan, Shouxiang Jiang, Ronghui Guo
Cited by: 2
References: 57

Abstract

ABSTRACT Maintaining high sensitivity while achieving a wide linear range offers significant advantages for flexible pressure sensors in diverse application scenarios. However, most interface‐contact‐based flexible pressure sensors exhibit multi‐regional sensitivity, where structural stiffening at high pressures causes a quasi‐power‐law decay of the response and limits the linear sensing range. Here, a multilevel microdome on a small‐scale random microspinous microstructured substrate is proposed and fabricated via Reactive‐Window Microreplication (RWM) combined with laser‐etched templates, effectively mitigating the rapid sensitivity drop at high pressures. Benefited from this synergistic enhancement strategy, the optimized pressure sensor exhibits a highly linear response up to 500 kPa ( R 2 = 0.9959) together with a maximum sensitivity of 102.14 kPa − 1 . The combination of high sensitivity and broad linearity facilitates accurate pressure monitoring in high‐load scenarios. As a proof of concept, an integrated sensing insole was demonstrated, which enables reliable detection of subtle pressure variations and stable signal acquisition during complex motion. Furthermore, a classification accuracy of 97.7% for different motion postures is achieved through the incorporation of deep learning algorithms. This work provides a novel perspective for addressing the quasi‐power‐law decay behavior commonly observed in interface‐contact‐based flexible pressure sensors and offers a generalizable strategy applicable to other contact‐based sensing systems.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials Advanced Materials and Mechanics Mechanical and Optical Resonators

Publication details

Journal / source
Advanced Functional Materials
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
36
Issue
42
Publication date
26 March 2026
Language
EN