Improvements of Pressure Sensing Performance of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomer-based Materials by Expanded Graphite and Supercritical Fluid Foaming

Shu-ping Xiao; Zhi-gang Sun; Hao-ting Lie; Jia-rong Huang

doi:10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2026.26056

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Improvements of Pressure Sensing Performance of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomer-based Materials by Expanded Graphite and Supercritical Fluid Foaming

更新时间：2026-06-12

- Improvements of Pressure Sensing Performance of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomer-based Materials by Expanded Graphite and Supercritical Fluid Foaming
- Acta Polymerica Sinica Pages: 1-14(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  五邑大学江门市高分子材料智能制造重点实验室江门 529100
- 作者简介：
  
  Shu-ping Xiao, E-mail: xsp@wyu.edu.cn
  Jia-rong Huang, E-mail: hjr@wyu.edu.cn
- 基金信息：
- DOI：10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2026.26056
  CLC：
- CSTR：32057.14.GFZXB.2026.7605
- Received：20 February 2026，
  
  Accepted：10 April 2026，
  
  Online First：12 June 2026，
- 稿件说明：
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肖书平, 孙志刚, 列皓珽, 黄嘉荣. 膨胀石墨和超临界流体发泡对TPU基材料压力传感性能改善作用. 高分子学报, doi: 10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2026.26056.

Xiao, S. P.; Sun, Z. G.; Lie, H. T.; Huang, J. R. Improvements of pressure sensing performance of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer-based materials by expanded graphite and supercritical fluid foaming. Acta Polymerica Sinica (in Chinese), doi: 10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2026.26056.
肖书平, 孙志刚, 列皓珽, 黄嘉荣. 膨胀石墨和超临界流体发泡对TPU基材料压力传感性能改善作用. 高分子学报, doi: 10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2026.26056. DOI： CSTR： 32057.14.GFZXB.2026.7605.

Xiao, S. P.; Sun, Z. G.; Lie, H. T.; Huang, J. R. Improvements of pressure sensing performance of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer-based materials by expanded graphite and supercritical fluid foaming. Acta Polymerica Sinica (in Chinese), doi: 10.11777/j.issn1000-3304.2026.26056. DOI： CSTR： 32057.14.GFZXB.2026.7605.

摘要

通过熔融混炼和超临界流体发泡等步骤制备一系列膨胀石墨(EG)/热塑性聚氨酯弹性体(TPU)复合材料发泡片材，以该发泡片材为介电层组装电容式压力传感器. 研究了EG和超临界流体发泡对TPU基材料压力传感性能的影响规律及其机理. 结果表明，EG可有效提升该EG/TPU复合材料介电常数及相应传感器灵敏度，这与片状EG和TPU基体之间的界面极化有关. 对EG/TPU复合材料进行超临界流体发泡不仅有效构建出三维微孔结构，而且对较高EG含量下EG/TPU复合材料内的EG团聚体起到了良好的解团聚效果. 前者可有效增大压缩过程中介电层厚度变化，并引起材料压缩过程中大量低介电常数空气被高介电常数的EG/TPU复合材料实体取代，从而可有效增大介电层压缩过程中的表观介电常数变化幅度；后者有利于在介电层内部形成片状EG-空气-片状EG的微电容结构. 上述两方面作用，使得EG/TPU复合材料发泡片材相应传感器的灵敏度显著提升：与1.5 wt% EG含量的EG/TPU复合材料相比，其经发泡后相应传感器中压区灵敏度提升71倍. 传感器其它性能及应用测试结果表明，基于该复合材料微孔片材的电容式压力传感器分辨率可低至0.5 N、压力检测下限可达1 kPa，且展现出良好的循环稳定性，在手腕弯曲、手指抓取和坐立等运动监测方面具有良好的应用前景.

Abstract

Foamed expanded graphite (EG)/thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) composite sheets were prepared using melt blending

supercritical fluid foaming

and other processes. Capacitive pressure sensors were assembled by adopting these foamed sheets as the dielectric layer. Thus

the influence of EG and supercritical fluid on the pressure-sensing performance was studied

and the influence mechanism was revealed. The results showed that EG could effectively increase the permittivity of the EG/TPU composites and the sensitivity of the corresponding sensor

which was related to the interfacial polarization between the introduced EG layers and the TPU matrix. By conducting supercritical fluid foaming on the EG/TPU composites

three-dimensional microcellular structures were effectively constructed

and the foaming process enhanced the deaggregation of the EG aggregates in the composites with higher EG content. The former could effectively increase the thickness variation of the dielectric layer during the compression process and cause a large amount of low-permittivity air to be replaced by high-permittivity EG/TPU solids during compression

thereby effectively increasing the apparent permittivity change of the dielectric layer during the compression process. The latter was favorable for forming the micro-capacitance structure of the EG layer-air-EG layer within the dielectric. The functions of the above two aspects could significantly improve the sensitivity values of the micro-cellular EG/TPU sensors: compared with the 1.5 wt% EG composite

the sensitivity in the medium-pressure region was increased by approximately 71 times after foaming. The test results of other performances and applications of the sensor showed that the capacitive pressure sensor based on the foamed EG/TPU sheets exhibited low resolution (as low as 0.5 N)

low pressure detection limit (as low as 1 kPa)

and good cyclic stability. It had a good application prospect in movement monitoring for wrist bending

finger grasping and sitting/standing.

关键词

Keywords

references

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