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Advanced Flexible Electronics for Sensing Application
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Advanced Flexible Electronics for Sensing Application

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2025 | Viewed by 4458

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xinkai Xie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Electronic Science & Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
Interests: flexible electronics; self-powered sensing; in-memory sensor; multimodal sensing and decoupling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the latest advances in flexible electronics and their promising applications in various sensing technologies. Flexible electronics, based on functional materials like polymers, hydrogels, and 2D, carbon, and nanomaterials, can be fabricated into fibers or thin films, which enable new capabilities beyond those of traditional rigid electronics.

The papers included in this SI cover frontier research on flexible materials (e.g., sensor materials, flexible substrates, conductive electrodes, etc.), devices, fabrication methods, and system integration strategies for sensing applications. The key topics span flexible sensors for monitoring physical parameters (light, temperature, strain, pressure, etc.), chemical/biomedical sensing, self-powered sensing, in-memory sensor computing, and multimodal sensing for human-machine interfaces. Prominent examples are wearable sensors for imagers, neuromorphic electronics, healthcare, robotics, Internet of Things, and smart environments.

The inherent flexibility, light weight, conformability, and potential for low-cost manufacturing make flexible electronics extremely attractive for next-generation sensing solutions. However, scientific and engineering challenges remain in improving their performance, reliability, scalability, and integration levels. This Issue aims to capture the state-of-the-art in this rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field and identify future research directions.

The contributed works provide a comprehensive overview, ranging from fundamental innovations in flexible materials and devices to system-level implementations across diverse sensing applications, offering valuable insights for researchers in advanced flexible integrated devices and systems.

Dr. Xinkai Xie
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • flexible electronics
  • wearable sensors
  • self-powered optoelectronics
  • multimodal sensors
  • neuromorphic sensors
  • e-textiles

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3437 KiB  
Article
Use of Carbon Nanotubes for the Functionalization of Concrete for Sensing Applications
by Xiaohui Jia, Anna Lushnikova and Olivier Plé
Sensors 2025, 25(12), 3755; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25123755 - 16 Jun 2025
Viewed by 305
Abstract
This study advances the development of self-sensing concrete through functionalization with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for structural health monitoring. Through experimental analyses, it relies on its dual responsiveness to mechanical and thermal stimuli. Three-point bending and thermal tests were systematically conducted on concrete samples [...] Read more.
This study advances the development of self-sensing concrete through functionalization with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for structural health monitoring. Through experimental analyses, it relies on its dual responsiveness to mechanical and thermal stimuli. Three-point bending and thermal tests were systematically conducted on concrete samples with CNT concentrations ranging from 0 to 0.05 wt.% of cement, evaluated at 7- and 28-day curing periods. Mechanical testing demonstrated curing-dependent behavior: At 7 days, mechanical strength and electrical current response exhibited pronounced variability across CNTs loadings, with optimal balance achieved at 0.01% CNTs. At 28 days, the tests show that the mechanical properties are relatively stabilized, reaching the highest value at 0.006 wt.% CNTs and achieving the best electrical sensitivity at 0.01 wt.% CNTs. The thermal experiments revealed faster current modulation in the 7-day samples than in the 28-day counterparts, with intermediate CNT concentrations (e.g., 0.01 wt.%) showing a more sensitive response. The sensitivity was analyzed for both mechanical and thermal changes to further evaluate the feasibility of using CNT-reinforced concrete as a sensor material. Conductivity measurements on fully cured samples indicated that all samples exhibited electrical conductivities in the 10−4 S/m range, suggesting semiconductive behavior, while 0.006 wt.% CNTs yielded the highest conductivity. Higher CNT content did not further improve conductivity, likely due to agglomeration disrupting the network. These findings confirm CNT-modified concrete’s dual electromechanical and thermal responsiveness and support its potential as a multifunctional sensing material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Flexible Electronics for Sensing Application)
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16 pages, 7015 KiB  
Article
Laterally Excited Bulk Acoustic Wave Resonators with Rotated Electrodes Using X-Cut LiNbO3 Thin-Film Substrates
by Jieyu Liu, Wenjuan Liu, Zhiwei Wen, Min Zeng, Yao Cai and Chengliang Sun
Sensors 2025, 25(6), 1740; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061740 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 825
Abstract
With the development of piezoelectric-on-insulator (POI) substrates, X-cut LiNbO3 thin-film resonators with interdigital transducers are widely investigated due to their adjustable resonant frequency (fs) and effective electromechanical coupling coefficient (Keff2). This paper presents [...] Read more.
With the development of piezoelectric-on-insulator (POI) substrates, X-cut LiNbO3 thin-film resonators with interdigital transducers are widely investigated due to their adjustable resonant frequency (fs) and effective electromechanical coupling coefficient (Keff2). This paper presents an in-depth study of simulations and measurements of laterally excited bulk acoustic wave resonators based on an X-cut LiNbO3/SiO2/Si substrate and a LiNbO3 thin film to analyze the effects of electrode angle rotation (θ) on the modes, fs, and Keff2. The rotated θ leads to different electric field directions, causing mode changes, where the resonators without cavities are longitudinal leaky SAWs (LLSAWs, θ = 0°) and zero-order shear horizontal SAWs (SH0-SAWs, θ = 90°) and the resonators with cavities are zero-order-symmetry (S0) lateral vibrating resonators (LVRs, θ = 0°) and SH0 plate wave resonators (PAW, θ = 90°). The resonators are fabricated based on a 400 nm X-cut LiNbO3 thin-film substrate, and the measured results are consistent with those from the simulation. The fabricated LLSAW and SH0-SAW without cavities show a Keff2 of 1.62% and 26.6% and a Bode-Qmax of 1309 and 228, respectively. Meanwhile, an S0 LVR and an SH0-PAW with cavities present a Keff2 of 4.82% and 27.66% and a Bode-Qmax of 3289 and 289, respectively. In addition, the TCF with a different rotated θ is also measured and analyzed. This paper systematically analyzes resonators on X-cut LiNbO3 thin-film substrates and provides potential strategies for multi-band and multi-bandwidth filters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Flexible Electronics for Sensing Application)
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13 pages, 5136 KiB  
Article
Flexible Piezoresistive Film Pressure Sensor Based on Double-Sided Microstructure Sensing Layer
by Rong Sun, Peng Xiao, Lei Sun, Dongliang Guo and Ye Wang
Sensors 2024, 24(24), 8114; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24248114 - 19 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1223
Abstract
Flexible thin-film pressure sensors have garnered significant attention due to their applications in industrial inspection and human–computer interactions. However, due to their ultra-thin structure, these sensors often exhibit lower performance, including a narrow pressure response range and low sensitivity, which constrains their further [...] Read more.
Flexible thin-film pressure sensors have garnered significant attention due to their applications in industrial inspection and human–computer interactions. However, due to their ultra-thin structure, these sensors often exhibit lower performance, including a narrow pressure response range and low sensitivity, which constrains their further application. The most commonly used microstructure fabrication methods are challenging to apply to ultra-thin functional layers and may compromise the structural stability of the sensors. In this study, we present a novel design of a film pressure sensor with a double-sided microstructure sensing layer by adopting the template method. By incorporating the double-sided microstructures, the proposed thin-film pressure sensor can simultaneously achieve a high sensitivity value of 5.5 kPa−1 and a wide range of 140 kPa, while maintaining a short response time of 120 ms and a low detection limit. This flexible film pressure sensor demonstrates considerable potential for distributed pressure sensing and industrial pressure monitoring applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Flexible Electronics for Sensing Application)
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23 pages, 5832 KiB  
Article
Usage of Machine Learning Techniques to Classify and Predict the Performance of Force Sensing Resistors
by Angela Peña, Edwin L. Alvarez, Diana M. Ayala Valderrama, Carlos Palacio, Yosmely Bermudez and Leonel Paredes-Madrid
Sensors 2024, 24(20), 6592; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24206592 - 13 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1727
Abstract
Recently, there has been a huge increase in the different ways to manufacture polymer-based sensors. Methods like additive manufacturing, microfluidic preparation, and brush painting are just a few examples of new approaches designed to improve sensor features like self-healing, higher sensitivity, reduced drift [...] Read more.
Recently, there has been a huge increase in the different ways to manufacture polymer-based sensors. Methods like additive manufacturing, microfluidic preparation, and brush painting are just a few examples of new approaches designed to improve sensor features like self-healing, higher sensitivity, reduced drift over time, and lower hysteresis. That being said, we believe there is still a lot of potential to boost the performance of current sensors by applying modeling, classification, and machine learning techniques. With this approach, final sensor users may benefit from inexpensive computational methods instead of dealing with the already mentioned manufacturing routes. In this study, a total of 96 specimens of two commercial brands of Force Sensing Resistors (FSRs) were characterized under the error metrics of drift and hysteresis; the characterization was performed at multiple input voltages in a tailored test bench. It was found that the output voltage at null force (Vo_null) of a given specimen is inversely correlated with its drift error, and, consequently, it is possible to predict the sensor’s performance by performing inexpensive electrical measurements on the sensor before deploying it to the final application. Hysteresis error was also studied in regard to Vo_null readings; nonetheless, a relationship between Vo_null and hysteresis was not found. However, a classification rule base on k-means clustering method was implemented; the clustering allowed us to distinguish in advance between sensors with high and low hysteresis by relying solely on Vo_null readings; the method was successfully implemented on Peratech SP200 sensors, but it could be applied to Interlink FSR402 sensors. With the aim of providing a comprehensive insight of the experimental data, the theoretical foundations of FSRs are also presented and correlated with the introduced modeling/classification techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Flexible Electronics for Sensing Application)
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