Screen-printed thin-film thermocouples for curved surface temperature monitoring and human-machine interaction

Abstract In fields such as industrial production, medical diagnosis, and aerospace, temperature monitoring is essential for indicating the dynamic balance of heat generation and dissipation in the measured objects. Traditional thermocouple temperature sensors are limited in their ability to conform to complex curved surfaces or irregularly shaped objects, making high-precision measurements difficult. Thin-film thermocouples, thanks to their slim design and flexibility, offer better conformity and faster response. However, current manufacturing methods for thin-film thermocouples face issues such as low efficiency, high costs, and environmental concerns. This study used screen-printing technology to successfully create a high-performance flexible Cu–Ni thin-film thermocouple with a sensitivity of 9.05 ± 0.15 μ V °C −1 . The fabricated thermocouples exhibited an excellent linear response from room temperature to 150 °C, responded in less than 1 s, and maintained good mechanical stability, with resistance remaining stable after 1000 bending cycles. Based on this, the study further developed a flexible sensor array with a shared-electrode design, which was successfully applied to curved-surface temperature detection and human-machine interaction, demonstrating its potential for high-precision measurement in complex environments. This work presents a cost-effective and efficient method for fabricating flexible thermocouples, paving the way for the scalable production and application of flexible electronic devices.