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Vol. 18 (2026)

Robust and Biodegradable Heterogeneous Electronics with Customizable Cylindrical Architecture for Interference-Free Respiratory Rate Monitoring

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01879-x
Jing Zhang
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, People’s Republic of China
Wenqi Wang
Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, College of Materials Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Sanwei Hao
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, People’s Republic of China
Hongnan Zhu
Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, College of Materials Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Chao Wang
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, People’s Republic of China
Zhouyang Hu
Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, College of Materials Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Yaru Yu
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, People’s Republic of China
Fangqing Wang
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, People’s Republic of China
Peng Fu
School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, People’s Republic of China
Changyou Shao
Liaoning Key Laboratory of Lignocellulose Chemistry and Biomaterials, College of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, People’s Republic of China
Jun Yang
Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, College of Materials Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Hailin Cong
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Hailin Cong

hailincong@163.com

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 34

Abstract

A rapidly growing field is piezoresistive sensor for accurate respiration rate monitoring to suppress the worldwide respiratory illness. However, a large neglected issue is the sensing durability and accuracy without interference since the expiratory pressure always coupled with external humidity and temperature variations, as well as mechanical motion artifacts. Herein, a robust and biodegradable piezoresistive sensor is reported that consists of heterogeneous MXene/cellulose-gelation sensing layer and Ag-based interdigital electrode, featuring customizable cylindrical interface arrangement and compact hierarchical laminated architecture for collectively regulating the piezoresistive response and mechanical robustness, thereby realizing the long-term breath-induced pressure detection. Notably, molecular dynamics simulations reveal the frequent angle inversion and reorientation of MXene/cellulose in vacuum filtration, driven by shear forces and interfacial interactions, which facilitate the establishment of hydrogen bonds and optimize the architecture design in sensing layer. The resultant sensor delivers unprecedented collection features of superior stability for off-axis deformation (0–120°, ~ 2.8 × 10–3 A) and sensing accuracy without crosstalk (humidity 50%–100% and temperature 30–80 °C). Besides, the sensor-embedded mask together with machine learning models is achieved to train and classify the respiration status for volunteers with different ages (average prediction accuracy ~ 90%). It is envisioned that the customizable architecture design and sensor paradigm will shed light on the advanced stability of sustainable electronics and pave the way for the commercial application in respiratory monitory.


Highlights:
1 Piezoresistive sensor in tandem with customizable cylindrical microstructure for ultra-sensitive, stable, and interference-free performance.
2 Molecular dynamics simulations reveal shear-force-driven self-assembly mechanisms.
3 Eco-friendly and robust sensing layer for scalable, sustainable fabrication.

Keywords

Wearable electronics Piezoresistive sensor Heterogeneous Cellulose Respiratory monitoring
Zhang, Jing, Wenqi Wang, Sanwei Hao, Hongnan Zhu, Chao Wang, Zhouyang Hu, Yaru Yu, Fangqing Wang, Peng Fu, Changyou Shao, Jun Yang, and Hailin Cong. 2025. “Robust and Biodegradable Heterogeneous Electronics With Customizable Cylindrical Architecture for Interference-Free Respiratory Rate Monitoring”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (August):34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01879-x.
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