Printable Sensors and Devices on Flexible Substrates: Trends and Prospects
A Special Issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412) belonging to the section "Thin Films".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2027 | Viewed by 124
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Printable sensors and devices on flexible substrates have gained significant attention for bridging conventional rigid electronics with the growing demand for lightweight, conformable, and large-area intelligent systems. Additive manufacturing techniques—such as inkjet, screen, roll-to-roll (R2R), and aerosol jet printing—have enabled applications in wearable health monitoring, human–machine interfaces, soft robotics, environmental sensing, and the Internet of Things. Current trends emphasize the development of multi-functional inks that combine conductivity, biocompatibility, and stretchability alongside advances in high-resolution printing and roll-to-roll manufacturing for scalable production. A key prospect lies in the integration of multiple sensing modalities—strain, pressure, temperature, and biochemical detection—onto single flexible platforms, enabled by hybrid printing strategies and novel encapsulation methods. Looking forward, the convergence of printable electronics with artificial intelligence and wireless communication is poised to unlock next-generation smart systems for personalized healthcare, electronic skin, and sustainable smart packaging. However, challenges remain in material development, printing process optimization, device reliability, and system-level integration.
This Special Issue of Coatings aims to provide a collection of papers focusing on the materials, fabrication, applications, and prospects of printable sensors and devices on flexible substrates. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research topics include (but are not limited to) the following:
- The development of functional inks (conductive, semiconductive, and dielectric) for printed flexible electronics;
- Advanced printing techniques and process optimization for high-resolution, multi-layer device fabrication;
- Theoretical and experimental studies on ink–substrate interactions and adhesion mechanisms;
- The design and characterization of flexible physical sensors (strain, pressure, and temperature) and chemical/biosensors;
- Integration strategies for multi-sensor arrays and flexible hybrid electronic systems;
- The encapsulation and reliability testing of printed devices under mechanical bending, stretching, and environmental exposure;
- The modeling and simulation of the mechanical, electrical, and electrochemical behavior of flexible printed devices;
- Novel applications in wearable healthcare, soft robotics, human–machine interfaces, and smart packaging.
Dr. Danfeng Lu
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- printable sensors
- flexible electronics
- additive manufacturing
- wearable devices
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