Flexible Vibration Sensors with Omnidirectional Sensing Enabled by Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Fabrication

Vibration sensors are integral to a multitude of engineering applications, yet the development of low-cost, easily assembled devices remains a formidable challenge. This study presents a highly sensitive flexible vibration sensor, based on the piezoresistive effect, tailored for the detection of high-dynamic-range vibrations and accelerations. The sensor's design incorporates a polylactic acid (PLA) housing with cavities and spherical recesses, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane, and electrodes that are positioned above. Employing femtosecond laser ablation and template transfer techniques, a parallel groove array is created within the flexible polymer sensing layer. This includes conductive pathways, and integrates stainless-steel balls as oscillators to further amplify the sensor's sensitivity. The sensor's performance is evaluated over a frequency range of 50 Hz to 400 Hz for vibrations and from 1 g to 5 g for accelerations, exhibiting a linear correlation coefficient of 0.92 between the sensor's voltage output and acceleration. It demonstrates stable and accurate responses to vibration signals from devices such as drills and mobile phone ringtones, as well as robust responsiveness to omnidirectional and long-distance vibrations. The sensor's simplicity in microstructure fabrication, ease of assembly, and low cost render it highly promising for applications in engineering machinery with rotating or vibrating components.