Design and Performance Analysis of a Hybrid Flexible Pressure Sensor with Wide Linearity and High Sensitivity

This study presents a wide-linear-range flexible pressure sensor based on a gradient non-uniform porous structure. Through co-optimization of material composition and structural parameters, the sensor integrates high sensitivity, a broad linear response range, and excellent stability. The sensing layer is fabricated using a PVC/CNT composite slurry, with interdigital silver electrodes screen-printed on a PET substrate. A porous architecture is constructed via solution blending and a template method. Innovatively, orthogonal experiments were employed to optimize the conductive filler concentration and porosity. A mixed sugar template comprising particles of 50–75 μm and 125–150 μm was introduced to form a gradient non-uniform porous structure, effectively expanding the linear response range. Experimental results demonstrate that the sensor exhibits outstanding linearity (R² > 0.99) and high sensitivity (5.57 kPa⁻¹) over a broad pressure range of 0–120 kPa. It also shows a dynamic response speed of 50 ms, cyclic stability exceeding 500 cycles, and signal fluctuation of less than 5%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis reveals the synergistic mechanism of the non-uniform pores, confirming the effectiveness of this design in reconciling the trade-off between sensitivity and linear range. This study offers new insights into the performance optimization of flexible pressure sensors and demonstrates significant potential for applications in health monitoring and electronic skin (E-skin).