High-Sensitivity Flexible Pressure Sensor-Based 3D CNTs Sponge for Human-Computer Interaction.

Researchers are showing an increasing interest in high-performance flexible pressure sensors owing to their potential uses in wearable electronics, bionic skin, and human-machine interactions, etc. However, the vast majority of these flexible pressure sensors require extensive nano-architectural design, which both complicates their manufacturing and is time-consuming. Thus, a low-cost technology which can be applied on a large scale is highly desirable for the manufacture of flexible pressure-sensitive materials that have a high sensitivity over a wide range of pressures. This work is based on the use of a three-dimensional elastic porous carbon nanotubes (CNTs) sponge as the conductive layer to fabricate a novel flexible piezoresistive sensor. The synthesis of a CNTs sponge was achieved by chemical vapor deposition, the basic underlying principle governing the sensing behavior of the CNTs sponge-based pressure sensor and was illustrated by employing in situ scanning electron microscopy. The CNTs sponge-based sensor has a quick response time of ~105 ms, a high sensitivity extending across a broad pressure range (less than 10 kPa for 809 kPa-1) and possesses an outstanding permanence over 4000 cycles. Furthermore, a 16-pixel wireless sensor system was designed and a series of applications have been demonstrated. Its potential applications in the visualizing pressure distribution and an example of human-machine communication were also demonstrated.

LiOAc-catalyzed chemoselective deprotection of aryl silyl ethers under mild conditions.

An efficient and chemoselective deprotection protocol for aryl silyl ethers using LiOAc as a bifunctional Lewis acid-Lewis base catalyst was described. Acetates, epoxides, and aliphatic silyl ethers were preserved, whereas aryl TBS and TBDPS ethers can be differentiated.