Free-standing conductive nickel metal-organic framework nanowires as bifunctional electrodes for wearable pressure sensors and Ni-Zn batteries

Yuan Fan; Yuanao Zhang; Jiajun Wu; Song Zhao; Jiabin Guo; Zhimin Wang; Ming Chen; Qichong Zhang; Qingwen Li

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.107397

Free-standing conductive nickel metal-organic framework nanowires as bifunctional electrodes for wearable pressure sensors and Ni-Zn batteries

iScience. 2023 Jul 13;26(8):107397. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107397. eCollection 2023 Aug 18.

Authors

Yuan Fan¹, Yuanao Zhang², Jiajun Wu¹, Song Zhao¹, Jiabin Guo¹, Zhimin Wang¹, Ming Chen³, Qichong Zhang¹, Qingwen Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Multifunctional Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, China.
² Department of Nano Science and Technology Institute, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou 215123, China.
³ Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.

Abstract

Free-standing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with controllable structure and good stability are emerging as promising materials for applications in flexible pressure sensors and energy-storage devices. However, the inherent low electrical conductivity of MOF-based materials requires complex preparation processes that involve high-temperature carbonization. This work presents a simple method to grow conductive nickel MOF nanowire arrays on carbon cloth (Ni-CAT@CC) and use Ni-CAT@CC as the functional electrodes for flexible piezoresistive sensor. The resulting sensor is able to monitor human activity, including elbow bending, knee bending, and wrist bending. Besides, the soft-packaged aqueous Ni-Zn battery is assembled with Ni-CAT@CC, a piece of glass microfiber filters, and Zn foil acting as cathode, separator, and anode, respectively. The Ni-Zn battery can be used as a power source for finger pressure monitoring. This work demonstrates free-standing MOF-based nanowires as bifunctional fabric electrodes for wearable electronics.

Keywords: Chemistry; Materials science; Nanotechnology.