Hierarchical piezoelectric composite film for self-powered moisture detection and wearable biomonitoring

Moisture detection plays a crucial role in physiological monitoring and wearable electronics. Nevertheless, most of the humidity sensors were restricted by the power supply, hindering their applicability in internet of things and mobile healthcare. Herein, we reported a hierarchical piezoelectric composite film for active humidity detection and wearable biomonitoring. The as-electrospun piezoelectric transducing textile consists of samarium-modified lead magnesium niobate lead titanate piezoceramic fillers and polyvinylidene fluoride matrix, while the spin coated polyimide film serves as the humidity sensitive layer. By tuning the thickness ratio between transducing layer and the humidity sensing layer as well as the porosity of the electrode, an optimal moisture-sensing performance was accomplished with a high response of ∼500% and rapid response/recovery time of 23 s/31 s. Furthermore, a theoretical modeling of active humidity sensing mechanism was established by combining thermodynamic derivation and finite element calculation.