Ultrasensitive piezoelectric sensor based on two-dimensional Na2Cl crystals with periodic atom vacancies

TL;DR

This paper introduces a highly sensitive piezoelectric pressure sensor based on 2D Na2Cl crystals with periodic atom vacancies, achieving unprecedented sensitivity and detection limits for tiny pressure signals.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a novel 2D Na2Cl crystal structure with periodic atom vacancies that significantly enhances piezoelectric sensitivity in pressure sensors.

Findings

Peak sensitivity of 3.5×10^6 kPa^-1 in 1-100 mPa range

Detection limit below 1 mPa

Successful detection of airflow fluctuations from a butterfly

Abstract

Pursuing ultrasensitivity of pressure sensors has been a long-standing goal. Here, we report a piezoelectric sensor that exhibits supreme pressure-sensing performance, including a peak sensitivity up to 3.5*10^6 kPa^-1 in the pressure range of 1-100 mPa and a detection limit of less than 1 mPa, superior to the current state-of-the-art pressure sensors. These properties are attributed to the high percentage of periodic atom vacancies in the two-dimensional Na2Cl crystals formed within multilayered graphene oxide membrane in the sensor, which provides giant polarization with high stability. The sensor can even clearly detect the airflow fluctuations surrounding a flapping butterfly, which have long been the elusive tiny signals in the famous "butterfly effect". The finding represents a step towards next-generation pressure sensors for various precision applications.