Chemically Engineered Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene Yields Stable and High-strain Intrinsically Conductive Polyurethane Piezoresistive Sensors

Li Zhou; Guo-Xuan Ma; Wen-Xue Tian; Wen-Cong Sun; Shu-Miao Li; Xiao-Ru Wang; Wen-Chao Ji; Yin-Yong Sun; Chun-Xiang Li

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3467-7

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Chemically Engineered Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene Yields Stable and High-strain Intrinsically Conductive Polyurethane Piezoresistive Sensors

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-01-13

- Chemically Engineered Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene Yields Stable and High-strain Intrinsically Conductive Polyurethane Piezoresistive Sensors
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 1, Pages: 100-115(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
  b.Shaanxi Electric Appliance Institute, Xi’an 710000, China
- Author bio：
  
  lichx@hit.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3467-7
  CLC：
- Received：21 July 2025，
  
  Accepted：27 September 2025，
  
  Published Online：17 December 2025，
  
  Published：15 January 2026
- Accepted：
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Zhou, L.; Ma, G. X.; Tian, W. X.; Sun, W. C.; Li, S. M.; Wang, X. R.; Ji, W. C.; Sun, Y. Y.; Li, C. X. Chemically engineered hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene yields stable and high-strain intrinsically conductive polyurethane piezoresistive sensors. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 100–115

Li Zhou, Guo-Xuan Ma, Wen-Xue Tian, et al. Chemically Engineered Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene Yields Stable and High-strain Intrinsically Conductive Polyurethane Piezoresistive Sensors[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(1): 100-115.
Zhou, L.; Ma, G. X.; Tian, W. X.; Sun, W. C.; Li, S. M.; Wang, X. R.; Ji, W. C.; Sun, Y. Y.; Li, C. X. Chemically engineered hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene yields stable and high-strain intrinsically conductive polyurethane piezoresistive sensors. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 100–115 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3467-7.

Li Zhou, Guo-Xuan Ma, Wen-Xue Tian, et al. Chemically Engineered Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene Yields Stable and High-strain Intrinsically Conductive Polyurethane Piezoresistive Sensors[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(1): 100-115. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3467-7.

摘要

This study prepared an intrinsically conductive polyurethane sensor (

FPHP) by grafting acetylferrocene-polyaniline groups onto HTPB. The sensor exhibits a high strain capacity of 254%

a gauge factor (GF) of 19.66

and a large range of strain sensing capabilities. FPHP enables human motion monitoring

via

a stable strain-current response.

Abstract

The development of intrinsically conductive piezoresistive sensors with high strain tolerance has garnered significant interest. While elastomeric polymers exhibit excellent strain capabilities

their utility in sensing applications has been limited by inherent challenges such as high electrical resistivity

poor aging resistance

and interfacial incompatibility. To address these limitations

hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB)-based polyurethane was chemically modified with acetylferrocene-polyaniline conductive moieties to enhance charge transport properties. Remarkably

this covalent functionalization endowed the resulting ferrocene-polyaniline hybrid polyurethane (FPHP) with a conductivity of 2.33 nA at 1 V bias while preserving piezoresistive functionality. The FPHP demonstrated exceptional mechanical-electrical performance

achieving 254% elongation at break with strain-dependent gauge factors of 7.28 (0%–12.5% strain

=0.9504) and 19.66 (12.5%–35.0% strain

=0.9929). Further characterization revealed a rapid 0.60 s response time and stability over 3500 strain-release cycles at compression strain

underscoring its durability under repetitive loading. The FPHP sensor was capable of monitoring various human movements and recognizing writing signals. These advances establish a materials design paradigm for fabricating flexible sensors that synergistically integrate high deformability

tunable sensitivity

and robust operational stability

positioning FPHP as a promising candidate for next-generation wearable electronics and soft robotics.

关键词

Keywords

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