Superhydrophobic Photocatalytic Self‐Cleaning Nanocellulose‐Based Strain Sensor for Full‐Range Human Motion Monitoring

Abstract

Nanocellulose‐based strain sensor (NBSS) have been a subject of growing interest for wearable electronics. However, these electronic devices are susceptible to damage when they come into contact with water and organic contaminants. Recently, researchers have developed a superhydrophobic NBSS. Unfortunately, it does not treat organic pollutants in water when used in an underwater environment. In this paper, a new solution: a superhydrophobic photocatalytic self‐cleaning NBSS created through scrape coating and dip coating methods is proposed. This new method shows outstanding self‐cleaning capabilities against water and organic contaminants due to the synergistic effects of the superhydrophobicity and photocatalysis of MnO₂ nanoparticles. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic photocatalytic self‐cleaning NBSS has an exceptional response time of 0.66 s, a fast recovery time of 0.81 s, a sensitivity ≈66.53 at a strain of 0.5%. It is expect that the superhydrophobic photocatalytic self‐cleaning NBSS can monitor human movements, including finger twists, wrist movements, elbow bends, and knee movements. Not only is the fabrication method cost‐effective and scalable, but the new NBSS holds great promise in a wide range of fields, including human‐machine interactive systems, smart systems, and human‐body monitoring. Overall, the study provides significant guidance for future designs for wearable strain sensors.