Bioinspired Gradient Stretchable Aerogels for Ultrabroad-Range-Response Pressure-Sensitive Wearable Electronics and High-Efficient Separators

Broad-range-response pressure-sensitive wearable electronics are urgently needed but their preparation remains a challenge. Herein, we report unprecedented bioinspired wearable electronics based on stretchable and superelastic reduced graphene oxide/polyurethane nanocomposite aerogels with gradient porous structures by a sol-gel/hot pressing/freeze casting/ambient pressure drying strategy. The gradient structure with a hot-pressed layer promotes strain transfer and resistance variation under high pressures, leading to an ultrabroad detection range of 1 Pa–12.6 MPa, one of the broadest ranges ever reported. They can withstand 10 000 compression cycles under 1 MPa, which can't be achieved by traditional flexible pressure sensors. They can be applied for broad-range-response electronic skins and monitoring various physical signals/motions and ultrahigh pressures of automobile tires. Moreover, the gradient aerogels can be used as high-efficient gradient separators for water purification.