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Elastic pressure sensors play a crucial role in the digital economy, such as in health care systems and human–machine interfacing. However, the low sensitivity of these sensors restricts their further development and wider application prospects. This issue can be resolved by introducing microstructures in flexible pressure-sensitive materials as a common method to improve their sensitivity. However, complex processes limit such strategies. Herein, a cost-effective and simple process was developed for manufacturing surface microstructures of flexible pressure-sensitive films. The strategy involved the combination of MXene–single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) with mass-produced Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microspheres to form advanced microstructures. Next, the conductive silica gel films with pitted microstructures were obtained through a 3D-printed mold as flexible electrodes, and assembled into flexible resistive pressure sensors. The sensor exhibited a sensitivity reaching 2.6 kPa−1 with a short response time of 56 ms and a detection limit of 5.1 Pa. The sensor also displayed good cyclic stability and time stability, offering promising features for human health monitoring applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an indispensable part of wearable devices and mechanical arms, stretchable conductors have received extensive attention in recent years. The design of a high-dynamic-stability, stretchable conductor is the key technology to ensure the normal transmission of electrical signals and electrical energy of wearable devices under large mechanical deformation, which has always been an important research topic domestically and abroad. In this paper, a stretchable conductor with a linear bunch structure is designed and prepared by combining numerical modeling and simulation with 3D printing technology. The stretchable conductor consists of a 3D-printed bunch-structured equiwall elastic insulating resin tube and internally filled free-deformable liquid metal. This conductor has a very high conductivity exceeding 104 S cm−1, good stretchability with an elongation at break exceeding 50%, and great tensile stability, with a relative change in resistance of only about 1% at 50% tensile strain. Finally, this paper demonstrates it as a headphone cable (transmitting electrical signals) and a mobile phone charging wire (transmitting electrical energy), which proves its good mechanical and electrical properties and shows good application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]