High sensitivity flexible paper temperature sensor and body-attachable patch for thermometers

A highly sensitive, flexible, and wearable paper-based temperature sensor is fabricated using printing paper and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) solution. It exhibits a negative temperature coefficient and is implemented in a new band-like body-attachable thermometer. Compared to the polymer substrate, the use of hydrophilic and flexible paper substrate facilitates significantly superior sensitivity and simple fabrication. The paper sensor is fabricated by depositing PEDOT:PSS onto the paper with an 80 g base weight for 40 s, which is covered with a 50 μm film to protect it from humidity. This is followed by a heat treatment at 150 °C for 10 min. The paper sensor exhibited an electrical conductivity of 0.48 Ωcm⁻¹ at room temperature with a linearity of 99.86 %. Remarkably, its sensitivity is 658.5 Ω/°C, which is 14 times higher than that of sensor with polyimide substrate (46 Ω/°C), for the body temperature range of 30–42 °C. The paper-based temperature sensor is implemented in a body-attachable patch for a wearable thermometer, which is simply connected with a circuit part for signal processing and the results are transferred to a phone via Bluetooth. The proposed inexpensive sensor is potentially useful for a wide range of flexible electronics and healthcare applications.