A Prototype of Piezoresistive Fringe-Electrodes-Element Based on Conductive Polymer Composite

To improve the softness of the piezoresistive element based on conductive polymer composite, a prototype of fringe-electrodes-element is designed and investigated. The fringe-electrodes-element encompasses the pressure sensitive part, the connection part, and the interface part. Different from the traditional sandwich element, the pressure sensitive part of the fringe-electrodes-element has no electrodes, contributing to increasing the flexibility of the element. The connection part is used to connect the other two parts, and the function of it is similar to a conducting wire. The electrodes are located in the interface part for outputting the resistance signal. The experimental data show that the electrical resistance of the fringe-electrodes-element changes regularly with the external pressure. The sensitivity of the fringe-electrodes-element is lower than that of the traditional sandwich element, and decreases with the increase of the distance between the edge of the pressure sensitive part and that of the electrode. With the tunneling effect theory, the piezoresistive mechanism of the fringe-electrodes-element is explained. The results verify the feasibility to use the fringe-electrodes-element to realize the pressure measurement at the cost of some sensitivity.