Mechanically Resilient Bioinspired Aerogels Enabled by Cross-Scale Interfacial Engineering for Multifunctional Wearable Electronics.

Abstract

Rapid advancement of wearable electronics, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence has generated a growing demand for flexible sensors capable of reliable and high-precision pressure monitoring under complex conditions. However, traditional piezoresistive sensors often suffer from sensitivity degradation and structural fatigue caused by moisture exposure and long-term cyclic loading. Here, we report a ternary composite aerogel-based piezoresistive sensor composed of tobacco stem-derived TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TTOCNFs), MXene, and polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) through cross-scale interfacial engineering. In this design, TTOCNFs form a flexible skeleton, MXene establishes an efficient conductive network, and PMSQ reinforces the framework while imparting hydrophobicity, mitigating moisture-induced performance degradation. An ice-templating strategy further constructs a honeycomb-like skeleton, enabling efficient stress distribution under mechanical deformation. Benefiting from these structural and interfacial synergies at different scales, the sensor exhibits high sensitivity (1612.8 kPa-1), broad detection range (2.4 Pa-48.8 kPa), rapid response and recovery (117 and 80 ms), and outstanding cycling stability (>1000 cycles), while maintaining reliable performance in humid environments. It enables high-fidelity monitoring of subtle physiological signals and human motions, demonstrating strong potential for health monitoring and human-machine interaction. This work provides a scalable and sustainable design strategy for environmentally robust aerogel-based pressure sensors toward smart wearable electronics.