Synergistic interfacial engineering for ultrasensitive bionic tunable strain sensors with robust sensing stability and integrated thermal management

Multifunctional strain sensors capable of detecting minute mechanical perturbations, conforming seamlessly to complex, irregular surfaces, and simultaneously facilitating thermal management are increasingly pivotal in wearable electronics, particularly within artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Prevailing architectures predominantly leverage stratified, heterogeneous material systems to augment sensing acuity; however, these designs frequently exhibit diminished operational stability due to intrinsic material incompatibilities and interfacial inefficiencies. To surmount these technical impediments, we have developed an advanced electromechanical integration methodology that concurrently amplifies sensitivity and enhances material robustness. This approach capitalizes on in situ synthesis and molecular adhesion within thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polypropylene (PP) matrices, establishing a cohesive mechanical-electrical interface characterized by highly efficient electron and phonon transport dynamics. The resultant pressure sensor exemplifies superior performance benchmarks, including an exceptional sensitivity (gauge factor of 293, sensitivity of 11.42 kPa(-1)), a low detection threshold of 0.5 % strain, rapid response (<20 ms), and robust durability (>50,000 cycles). Its self-encapsulating structural paradigm ensures resilience under multifarious mechanical stresses. Furthermore, the sensor demonstrates remarkable thermal conductivity (9.6 W/m<middle dot>K), a heating trajectory from 23 degrees C to 37.4 degrees C at a low current of 1 A, and a good linear correlation between Joule heating phenomena and applied strain. Finally, the sensor exhibits transformative utility in biological signal acquisition, multi-gesture motion recognition aided by machine learning algorithms, and thermal regulation. These attributes underscore its potential for enabling intelligent, dynamic interactions across a spectrum of mechanical and biological motions in next-generation applications.