Mechanically Amplified Zeta-Fold Paper-Based Composite with Sustainable Design for Enhanced Pressure-Driven Electrical Response

Developing sustainable and flexible materials that can efficiently convert mechanical stimuli into electrical signals remains a key challenge in soft electronics. In this work, we demonstrate a Zeta-fold structured paper-based composite composed of α-cellulose fibers and carbon black that exhibits mechanically amplified conductivity and pressure-dependent electrical response. The folded configuration forms a hierarchical contact–separation interface, which redistributes stress and reconstructs conductive networks under compression. This design enhances the electromechanical coupling, giving a high sensitivity of 0.12 kPa–1, a low detection limit of 20 Pa, and fast response and recovery times of 100 and 80 ms, respectively. The composite shows excellent stability over 1000 cycles and consistent performance during human-motion and logic-signal detection. The Zeta-fold approach offers a simple and environmentally friendly route to integrate structural mechanics with electronic functionality, suggesting broad potential for sustainable and flexible electronic systems.