Wearable technology

Adhesive

Engineering

Materials science

Pressure sensitive

Graphene

Embedded system

Layer (electronics)

Capillary number

Capillary action

Bioelectronics

Computer science

Biosensor

Mechanical engineering

Nanotechnology

Electronic skin

Interface (matter)

Wearable computer

Electronic engineering

Composite material

Sensitivity (control systems)

Borophene

Pressure sensor

Piezoresistive effect

Optoelectronics

Nano Energy

Wearable pressure sensors, which can rapidly respond to small pressure variations, play a crucial role in health monitoring system, human-machine interfaces, robotic technologies and artificial intelligence devices. Although conductive nanomaterials have been considered as sensing layers for the sensors, several drawbacks still exist: narrow detection range, high power consumption and poor integration. Here, we report that a high-performance pressure sensor can be fabricated using the novel two-dimensional semiconducting borophene as the active material. It is found that the sensor shows a high sensitivity (2.16 kPa-1), broad pressure ranges (0–120 kPa), low detection limit (down to 10 Pa), low power consumption (around 0.6 μW) and high reproducibility (more than 1000 cycles). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the borophene sensor can be used as wearable electronic skin towards health monitoring, recognition of voice and human motion wireless detection, and applied in smart robots for human-machine interface.

Borophene pressure sensing for electronic skin and human-machine interface