Single‐Layered Seamless Triboelectric Touch Position Sensor With Sedimentation‐Driven Transformation of Sol‐State Nanocomposite Precursor Into Bifunctional Composite

ABSTRACT In this study, we propose a sedimentation‐driven fabrication process of a single‐layered seamless touch position sensor based on the transformation of a sol‐state precursor into a bifunctional composite using a carbon nanomaterial‐incorporated silicone elastomer. The proposed fabrication method is based on the spontaneous gravitational sedimentation effect without additional post‐processing. The concentration of the carbon nanomaterials in each part can be controlled by the main process parameters, such as the temperature and composition ratio. The developed touch position sensor, called a Bifunctional composite‐based Single‐layered seamless Triboelectric touch position sensor (BST sensor), includes dielectric and conductive parts in a single layer, and generates an electrical signal in response to external mechanical stimuli by a self‐powered mechanism. The electrical output signal is measured differently depending on the distance from the touch position to the measurement position, and therefore, the seamless touch position sensing can be realized without an array of multiple sensor units. Moreover, the BST sensor allows the sensing surface to be discretized into on‐demand resolutions and patterns. The sensing accuracy is 98.52% when a deep learning‐based signal processing is used. Various BST sensors with flexible resolutions and patterns are introduced, and their application strategies are suggested as proof‐of‐concept demonstrations.