Flexible Sphere Elastomer Structural Pressure Sensor for Non-invasive Pulse Wave Monitoring

Pulse wave is considered a vital physiological signal in the effective prevention and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, which remain the leading cause of human mortality. Developing flexible and non-invasive pressure sensors for detecting subtle pressure changes in blood vessels has garnered significant attention globally. Here, a flexible and sphere elastomer structural triboelectric pressure sensor is developed with the characteristics of great sensitivity, decent durability, and fast response time for continuous and non-invasive monitoring of epidermal pulse waves. Leveraging the sphere elastomer structure on the tribolayer, the contact area significantly enhances the pressure sensor, resulting in an impressive sensitivity of 1.62 V kPa^–1 and a swift response time for real-time pulse monitoring. Furthermore, the sphere elastomer structure endows the function of a stable supporting component in the sensor exhibiting excellent mechanical durability (>20000 cycles). Due to such merits, the pressure sensor is capable of recognizing pulse signals with detailed information in real-time. Meanwhile, the flexible pressure sensor enables capture human pulse waves at different positions and exercise conditions, making it highly versatile in practical applications. Overall, our proposed pressure sensor represents a significant advancement in non-invasive pulse monitoring for the assessment and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and reveals the potential applications in wearable medical electronics.