Silk-screen printing sensor for underwater electric field detection, preparation method and application

Abstract

The invention provides a screen printing sensor for underwater electric field detection, a preparation method and application, the sensor comprises an insulating substrate layer, an electrode wire arranged on the insulating substrate layer, an electrode sensing area electrically connected with the electrode wire, and an insulating layer covering the electrode wire and partially exposing the electrode sensing area, the electrode sensing areas are prepared from conductive silver paste subjected to silk-screen printing through electrochemical chlorination, and the sensor can integrate a plurality of electrode sensing areas to form a sensing array. According to the method, a silk-screen printing technology is combined with an electrochemical chlorination technology, and a silver layer part in an electrode sensing area is converted into a silver / silver chloride layer. According to the sensor, the method and the application provided by the invention, the preparation cost and the process complexity of the sensor are reduced, and the technical bottlenecks of high preparation cost and low batch consistency of the traditional rod-shaped electrode are overcome. The sensor has extremely low background noise and excellent long-term potential stability, and has wide practical application value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of underwater electric field sensor technology, and more specifically, to a screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, its preparation method, and its application. Background Technology

[0002] Underwater electric field signal detection technology plays a crucial role in marine resource exploration, underwater target identification, and geophysical monitoring by measuring changes in the electric field in seawater. Because seawater is a good conductor, the electric field signal generated by a target attenuates during propagation, often reaching the sensor as extremely weak (on the order of μV / m or even nV / m), and primarily concentrated in the low-frequency range. Therefore, underwater electric field sensors must possess extremely low background noise and excellent long-term potential stability.

[0003] In existing technologies, the core component widely used in underwater electric field detection systems is the silver / silver chloride non-polarizable electrode. Existing commercial or research-grade high-performance silver / silver chloride electrodes are typically fabricated using powder pressing and high-temperature sintering processes, often in rod or block shapes. However, these all-solid-state sintered electrodes suffer from cumbersome fabrication processes, long lead times, and high costs per electrode. Furthermore, due to the limitations of the sintering process, batch-to-batch electrode consistency is difficult to control, and the range stabilization time for electrode pairs is long, often requiring extensive soaking, screening, and pairing of large quantities of electrodes before practical use. In contrast, screen printing technology, as a mature planar electronic manufacturing process, offers advantages such as high production efficiency, good consistency, low cost, and ease of pattern design.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a screen-printed sensor, its fabrication method, and its application for underwater electric field detection, which can solve the problems of complicated fabrication processes, high costs, and poor consistency of existing underwater electric field sensors. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on existing technology, the objective of this invention is to provide a screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, its preparation method, and its application. This invention can significantly reduce sensor preparation costs and improve sensor consistency, thereby facilitating mass production for array-based deployment and detection.

[0006] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned task is achieved by a screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, a preparation method thereof, and its application.

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention provides a screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, the sensor comprising: Insulating substrate layer; Electrode wires are arranged on the insulating substrate layer; An electrode sensing region, disposed on the insulating substrate and electrically connected to the electrode wire, wherein the electrode sensing region includes a silver / silver chloride layer, the silver / silver chloride layer being prepared by electrochemical chlorination of screen-printed conductive silver paste; and An insulating layer is disposed on the electrode wire, wherein: The insulating layer completely covers the electrode wire and extends inward along the edge of the electrode sensing area, partially covering the electrode sensing area.

[0008] Further, the insulating substrate layer includes: A rigid substrate layer, said rigid substrate layer comprising a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) layer or an alumina ceramic layer; and / or A flexible polymer substrate layer, the flexible polymer substrate layer comprising a polyimide (PI) layer or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer.

[0009] Furthermore, the electrode wire is made of an electrode conductive paste, which includes conductive silver paste, conductive copper paste, or conductive carbon paste.

[0010] Furthermore, the insulating layer includes a UV-curable insulating ink layer or a baking-type insulating ink layer.

[0011] Furthermore, the sensor includes a plurality of electrode sensing regions, and the plurality of electrode sensing regions are integrated into a sensing array.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention also provides a method for fabricating a screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, the method comprising: Electrode conductive paste is printed on an insulating substrate using screen printing technology, and then baked to obtain electrode wires. The electrode sensing area is obtained by printing conductive silver paste on the insulating substrate using screen printing technology and baking. The electrode sensing area includes a silver layer and is electrically connected to the electrode wire. Insulating ink is printed onto the electrode wires using a screen printing process, covering the electrode wires and exposing the electrode sensing area. The insulating ink is then cured to obtain the insulating layer. The silver layer in the electrode sensing region is converted into a silver chloride layer using an electrochemical chlorination method.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention: The electrode conductive paste is baked at a temperature of 70-100℃ for 20-30 minutes; and The conductive silver paste is baked at a temperature of 70-120℃ for 10-30 minutes.

[0014] Furthermore, the electrochemical chlorination employs cyclic voltammetry, wherein the cyclic voltammetry is performed in a three-electrode system, and the electrode sensing region is configured as the working electrode.

[0015] Furthermore, the number of scan cycles in the cyclic voltammetry is adjusted to control the silver / silver chloride ratio, which is between 3:1 and 5:1.

[0016] The present invention also proposes an application of a screen-printed sensor as described in the first aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: The sensor is connected to an external circuit module, and the non-sensing parts of the sensor are waterproofed. The sensor is then deployed in an underwater environment and used to detect the electric field signal in the underwater environment.

[0017] The present invention provides a screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, its preparation method, and its application, which have at least the following beneficial effects: The sensor proposed in this invention uses screen printing technology to replace the sintering process in the traditional method, which reduces the manufacturing cost and process complexity of the underwater electric field detection sensor. The sensor produced has good consistency and effectively overcomes the technical bottlenecks of high manufacturing cost and difficulty in controlling batch consistency of traditional rod electrodes.

[0018] The preparation method proposed in this invention converts silver into silver chloride through electrochemical chlorination to obtain a silver / silver chloride layer. The optimal effect can be achieved by precisely controlling the ratio of silver to silver chloride.

[0019] The screen-printed sensor provided by this invention can be integrated onto the surface of underwater equipment through surface mounting in application scenarios without occupying load space, and has potential application value in fields such as underwater unmanned vehicles, seabed electromagnetic receivers, and marine monitoring buoys. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To further illustrate the advantages and other features of the various embodiments of the present invention, a more specific description of the embodiments of the present invention will be presented with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not intended to limit its scope. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts will be indicated by the same or similar reference numerals for clarity.

[0021] Figure 1 The diagram shows the unfolded structure of the screen-printed sensor in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 The voltage-current response curves of the electrode subjected to electrochemical chlorination treatment using cyclic voltammetry are shown in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 The diagram shows the potential stability test results of the screen-printed sensor in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 The diagram shows the self-noise test results of a screen-printed sensor according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 The diagram shows the response of a screen-printed sensor to a sinusoidal signal according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] List of reference numerals 1 Insulating base layer 2. Electrode wires 3 Electrode sensing area 4 Insulation layer 5 electrode pins Detailed Implementation It should be noted that the components in the various figures may be shown exaggeratedly for illustrative purposes and are not necessarily to scale. In each figure, the same reference numerals are used for components that are identical or have the same function.

[0027] In this invention, the various embodiments are merely intended to illustrate the solutions of the invention and should not be construed as limiting.

[0028] In this invention, unless otherwise specified, the quantifiers “a” and “one” do not exclude scenarios involving multiple elements.

[0029] It should also be noted that, in the embodiments of the present invention, only a portion of the components or parts may be shown for clarity and simplicity. However, those skilled in the art will understand that, under the teachings of the present invention, necessary components or parts can be added as needed for specific scenarios. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, features in different embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other. For example, a feature in the second embodiment can replace a corresponding or functionally identical or similar feature in the first embodiment, and the resulting embodiment will also fall within the scope of disclosure or description of this application.

[0030] Unless otherwise specified, all raw materials and equipment used in this invention are commonly used in the field; and all methods used in this invention are conventional methods in the field unless otherwise specified.

[0031] In this invention, the term "cyclic voltammetry" is a commonly used electrochemical analysis method. Its core is to apply a cyclically changing voltage in a three-electrode system in a linear scanning manner to cause a redox reaction on the surface of the working electrode, while recording the corresponding current changes and forming a voltage-current response curve.

[0032] Furthermore, the steps of the methods of the present invention are not limited in terms of the execution order of the method steps. Unless otherwise specified, the method steps may be executed in different orders.

[0033] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] Figure 1 A structural unfolded diagram of a screen-printed sensor according to a specific embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 As shown, this invention proposes a screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, the sensor comprising: The insulating substrate 1 is configured to provide a stable mounting support for the electrode wires, electrode sensing areas and insulating layers, while its own insulating properties prevent short circuits between conductive components.

[0035] Electrode wire 2 is arranged on the insulating substrate layer 1. The electrode wire 2 is configured to connect the electrode sensing area 3 and the external circuit to realize the stable transmission of the electric field signal captured by the electrode sensing area 3 to the external circuit.

[0036] An electrode sensing region 3 is disposed on the insulating substrate layer 1 and electrically connected to the electrode wire 2. The electrode sensing region 3 includes a silver / silver chloride layer. The electrode sensing region 3 is configured to directly contact the underwater environment and capture electric field signals in the underwater environment through a reversible electrochemical reaction of the silver / silver chloride layer, and convert the captured electric field signals into electrical signals that can be transmitted through the electrode wire.

[0037] An insulating layer 4 is disposed on the electrode wire 2, covering the electrode wire 2 and exposing the electrode sensing area 3. The insulating layer 4 is configured to cover the electrode wire 2 and expose the electrode sensing area 3, isolating the electrode wire 2 from the underwater environment, preventing corrosion or leakage of the electrode wire 2 due to contact with seawater, while ensuring that the electrode sensing area 3 can directly contact the underwater environment to properly capture electric field signals, thus ensuring the stable operation of the sensor in the underwater environment.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, the insulating substrate 1 is a rigid substrate or a flexible polymer substrate, wherein: The substrate is either polyetheretherketone (PEEK) or alumina ceramic; The flexible polymer substrate is either polyimide (PI) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0039] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode wire 2 is made of an electrode conductive paste, which includes conductive silver paste, conductive copper paste or conductive carbon paste.

[0040] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode sensing region 3 is formed by screen printing conductive silver paste directly onto the end of the electrode wire 2 and then curing it at high temperature. The electrode sensing region 3 and the electrode wire 2 are integrally formed by overlapping electrical connection structures.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode sensing region 3 includes a silver / silver chloride layer, wherein the silver / silver chloride layer is formed by electrochemical chlorination of a screen-printed conductive silver paste precursor. The silver / silver chloride layer exhibits a microscopic layered arrangement of "bottom layer-top layer," wherein the bottom layer is an unreacted silver layer, and the top layer is a silver chloride layer generated through an electrochemical reaction, with the two layers tightly bonded together.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode sensing region 3 is constructed as a square with a side length of 2 to 12 mm, and a plurality of electrode sensing regions 3 are arranged in an array. In one embodiment of the present invention, the side length of the electrode sensing region 3 is preferably 11.2 mm.

[0043] In one embodiment of the present invention, the insulating layer 4 is either a UV-curable insulating ink layer or a baking-type insulating ink layer. Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the processing procedure for the UV-curable insulating ink layer involves irradiating the ink layer with UV light after screen printing, while the processing procedure for the baking-type insulating ink layer involves placing the product in a heating device for baking after screen printing, thereby achieving solvent evaporation and / or resin cross-linking and curing through heat.

[0044] Due to the inherent alignment errors in the screen printing process, the electrode wire 2 may be directly exposed to seawater, leading to rapid electrochemical corrosion of the silver. Simultaneously, it can also generate significant baseline drift and electrochemical noise, causing sensor failure. Therefore, ensuring the sensor's watertightness is crucial to avoid these problems. In one embodiment of the invention, the insulating layer 4 is designed to partially cover the edge region of the electrode sensing area 3 to ensure the sensor's watertightness. Specifically: The insulating layer 4 extends inward from the edge of the electrode sensing area 3, covering an area with a width of 0.5 mm. The area of ​​this edge-covered area accounts for approximately 17% of the total area of ​​the electrode sensing area 3.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor includes a plurality of electrode sensing regions 3, which are integrated into a sensing array.

[0046] In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor further includes electrode pins 5, and the electrode wire 2 is electrically connected to the electrode sensing region 3 through the electrode pins 5. The electrode pins 5 serve as a connection component between the electrode wire 2 and the electrode sensing region 3, achieving stable connection between the electrode wire 2 and the electrode sensing region 3.

[0047] In one specific embodiment of the present invention, conductive silver paste is used to prepare the electrode wires 2, and ultraviolet light-curable insulating ink is used as the insulating layer 4. The sensing array includes nine electrode sensing regions 3 arranged in an array.

[0048] This invention also proposes a method for fabricating a screen-printed sensor as described in the above embodiments. In one embodiment of this invention, the method includes the following steps: A 0.5 mm thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was selected as the insulating substrate 1. The insulating substrate 1 was placed in anhydrous ethanol and ultrasonically cleaned for 10 minutes to remove impurities such as grease and dust from the material surface. After drying at room temperature, conductive silver paste was printed on the insulating substrate 1 using a 300-mesh screen printing stencil. The substrate was then baked at 70°C for 30 minutes to cure the conductive silver paste, thus obtaining the electrode wire 2.

[0049] Conductive silver paste is printed onto multiple areas of an insulating substrate 1 using a screen printing process. The selected areas must ensure that the printed electrode sensing area 3 can be electrically connected to the electrode wire 2. After printing, the area is baked at 70°C for 30 minutes to cure the silver paste, thus obtaining the electrode sensing area 3.

[0050] UV-curable insulating ink was printed on the electrode wires 2 using a screen printing process, exposing the electrode sensing area 3 and electrode pins 5, while the remaining conductive parts were covered by the insulating ink. After printing, the ink was cured by irradiation under a 250W UV curing lamp for 5 minutes to obtain the insulating layer 4.

[0051] Electrochemical chlorination is used to convert the silver layer in electrode sensing region 3 into a silver chloride layer, resulting in electrode sensing region 3 containing a silver / silver chloride layer, which serves as a conductive electrode.

[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrochemical chlorination method is cyclic voltammetry. In this embodiment, the voltage scan range is set to -0.15V to 1.05V, the scan rate is 50mV / s, and the cyclic scan is performed for 4 cycles. The cyclic voltammetry is conducted in a three-electrode system, with electrode sensing region 3 serving as the working electrode. In this embodiment, a commercial silver / silver chloride electrode is used as the reference electrode, and a platinum electrode is used as the counter electrode.

[0053] In one embodiment of the invention, electrochemical chlorination is carried out in an electrolyte containing hydrochloric acid and / or potassium chloride. In this embodiment, a mixed solution of 0.1M hydrochloric acid and 0.01M potassium chloride is used as the electrolyte for electrochemical chlorination.

[0054] Figure 2 The voltage-current response curves of the electrode subjected to electrochemical chlorination treatment using cyclic voltammetry in a specific embodiment of the present invention are shown. Figure 2 As shown, during the forward scan, the image shows obvious oxidation peaks, indicating that the silver layer in electrode sensing region 3 undergoes an oxidation reaction to generate silver chloride.

[0055] In this invention, properly controlling the silver / silver chloride ratio is key to ensuring the core performance of the underwater electric field detection sensor and adapting it to application scenarios. Specifically: When the silver / silver chloride ratio is too high, the insufficient content of silver chloride, a core component of the reversible electrochemical reaction, leads to a reduction in effective reaction sites on the electrode surface, decreased charge transfer efficiency, and consequently a significant increase in electrode internal resistance. This increased internal resistance easily triggers thermal noise superposition. Furthermore, the excessive silver layer causes uneven electron transport on the electrode surface, further increasing the background noise and potentially masking weak underwater electric field signals. Ultimately, this results in a decrease in the sensor's response amplitude to external electric field signals, reduced signal clarity, and difficulty in accurately capturing subtle changes in low-frequency electric field signals, thus affecting detection accuracy.

[0056] When the silver / silver chloride ratio is too low, excessive silver chloride forms an overly thick insulating layer, disrupting the reversible reaction balance between silver and silver chloride. This makes the electrode potential susceptible to underwater environmental factors (such as fluctuations in ion concentration), resulting in significant drift. Simultaneously, the excessively thick silver chloride layer hinders electron transport, causing an imbalance in charge transfer efficiency and an abnormally high charge transfer resistance. Even if the signal is captured, transmission losses will lead to attenuation of the output signal amplitude and waveform distortion. Furthermore, the excessive silver chloride layer has poor mechanical stability and is prone to detachment and cracking under prolonged underwater immersion or slight disturbances, leading to structural damage to the electrode sensing area. This further exacerbates potential fluctuations and signal distortion, shortening the sensor's lifespan.

[0057] In this invention, under constant electrolyte concentration, scan rate, and voltage range, the screen-printed conductive silver layer serves as the working electrode. The amount of silver on its surface converted into silver chloride is proportional to the total charge passing through during the reaction. Therefore, by increasing or decreasing the number of scan cycles in cyclic voltammetry, the amount of silver participating in the oxidation reaction can be quantitatively controlled, thereby precisely regulating the ratio of metallic silver retained in the final functional layer to the generated silver chloride. In one embodiment of this invention, the electrode performance is optimal when the number of cyclic scan cycles is 4. At this point, the molar ratio of silver to silver chloride in the electrode sensing region is approximately 4:1. The sensor electrode prepared at this ratio has the lowest charge transfer resistance, and the self-noise of the electrode at 1 Hz remains at a low level.

[0058] This invention also proposes an application of the screen-printed sensor described above. The sensor is connected to an external circuit module, and the non-sensing parts of the sensor are waterproofed. The sensor is deployed in an underwater environment and used to detect the electric field signal in the underwater environment. In a specific embodiment of this invention, the prepared screen-printed sensor is subjected to potential stability testing, self-noise testing, and electric field response testing, wherein: The purpose of potential stability testing is to verify the stability of the sensor's potential output during long-term operation in an underwater environment, check whether the potential drift exceeds the allowable range, ensure that the sensor's output signal is not disturbed by its own potential fluctuations during long-term detection, and guarantee the accuracy and reliability of underwater electric field signal detection results.

[0059] The purpose of self-noise testing is to detect the intensity of irregular electrical signals generated by the sensor itself, ensuring that the sensor's background noise is at an extremely low level, preventing its own noise from masking extremely weak electric field signals in the underwater environment, and providing performance support for the sensor to accurately capture low-frequency electric field signals.

[0060] The purpose of electric field response testing is to verify the sensor's ability to sense underwater electric field signals and the accuracy of signal conversion, to check for distortion in the output signal, to confirm that the sensor can accurately respond to changes in the external electric field and convert them into identifiable electrical signals, and to ensure the effective realization of the sensor's core detection functions.

[0061] Figure 3 The diagram shows the potential stability test results of the screen-printed sensor in a specific embodiment of the present invention. In one specific embodiment, the packaged sensor was placed in the middle of a water tank containing simulated seawater (3.5 wt% NaCl), with the electrode spacing maintained at 10 cm. After standing for a period of time to stabilize, the range potential change between the electrode pairs was recorded continuously for 12 hours using a digital multimeter. The results are as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the potential fluctuation between the prepared screen-printed sensor electrode pairs is small, with a drift of only 0.59 mV / h.

[0062] The potential stability test results show that when the screen-printed sensor of the present invention works for a long time in a simulated underwater environment, the potential output between the electrode pairs has excellent stability, the potential fluctuation amplitude is small and the drift is at an extremely low level, which can effectively avoid the deviation of the detection results caused by its own potential drift, and meet the core requirements of sensor stability for long-term monitoring of underwater electric field signals.

[0063] Figure 4The diagram shows the self-noise test results of a screen-printed sensor according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. In one specific embodiment, the fabricated sensor was placed in a tank containing simulated seawater and then placed inside a shielded box. A low-noise preamplifier was connected to acquire the output signal of the electrode pair, and the acquired voltage was converted into voltage noise power spectral density. The results are as follows: Figure 4 As shown, at 1 Hz, the sensor self-noise is only 5.59 nV / √Hz.

[0064] The noise test results show that the screen printing sensor of the present invention generates extremely low intensity of irregular electrical signals, especially in the low frequency band (1Hz), where the background noise control effect is outstanding. This can prevent the noise from masking the extremely weak electric field signals in the underwater environment, providing key performance assurance for the sensor to accurately capture low frequency electric field signals.

[0065] Figure 5 The diagram shows the response of a screen-printed sensor to a sinusoidal signal according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. In one specific embodiment, the fabricated sensor was placed in a water tank containing simulated seawater. The tank was 20cm long, 15cm wide, and 20cm high. Conductive graphite plates were placed on both sides of the tank, and a signal generator was connected to simulate an underwater electric field signal. The sensors were spaced 10cm apart, and a sinusoidal signal with a frequency of 1Hz and an amplitude of 10mV was applied. The results are as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the peak-to-peak value of the signal output by the sensor is approximately 0.46mV, the waveform is clear, and there is no obvious distortion.

[0066] The electric field response test results show that the screen-printed sensor of the present invention has good sensing ability and signal conversion accuracy to external electric field signals. It can accurately respond to electric field signals of specific frequencies and amplitudes, and the output signal waveform is complete and without obvious distortion. This proves that the core detection function of the sensor is effective and reliable, and can realize accurate identification and conversion of underwater electric field signals.

[0067] In the above embodiments, the three experimental results together demonstrate that the screen-printed sensor, preparation method, and application for underwater electric field detection proposed in this invention, through the combination of screen printing technology and electrochemical chlorination technology, successfully prepared a sensor that meets the core requirements for underwater electric field detection. It achieves the advantages of low cost and easy and rapid preparation, while also achieving the performance goals of extremely low background noise, excellent long-term potential stability, and accurate signal response. It fully meets the application requirements for detecting weak electric field signals in underwater environments, effectively overcomes the technical bottlenecks of high cost and difficulty in controlling batch consistency of traditional rod-shaped electrodes, and has practical application value.

[0068] Although various embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example only and not as limitations. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various combinations, modifications, and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the invention disclosed herein should not be limited by the exemplary embodiments disclosed above, but should be defined solely by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, characterized by, The sensor comprises: an insulating substrate layer; an electrode lead wire arranged on the insulating substrate layer; an electrode sensing area arranged on the insulating substrate layer and electrically connected with the electrode lead wire, wherein the electrode sensing area comprises a silver / silver chloride layer; and an insulating layer arranged on the electrode lead wire, wherein: the insulating layer completely covers the electrode lead wire and extends inward along the edge of the electrode sensing area to partially cover the electrode sensing area.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein, The insulating substrate layer comprises: a hard substrate layer comprising a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) layer or an alumina ceramic layer; and / or a flexible polymer substrate layer comprising a polyimide (PI) layer or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein, The electrode lead wire is made of an electrode conductive paste comprising a conductive silver paste, a conductive copper paste or a conductive carbon paste.

4. The sensor of claim 1, wherein, The insulating layer comprises an ultraviolet light-cured insulating ink layer or an oven-dried insulating ink layer.

5. The sensor of claim 1, wherein, The sensor comprises a plurality of electrode sensing areas, and the plurality of electrode sensing areas are integrated into a sensing array.

6. A method for the preparation of a screen-printed sensor for underwater electric field detection, characterized by, The method comprises: forming an electrode conductive paste on an insulating substrate layer to obtain an electrode lead wire after baking; forming a conductive silver paste on the insulating substrate layer to obtain the electrode sensing area comprising a silver layer and electrically connected with the electrode lead wire after baking; forming an insulating ink on the electrode lead wire to cover the electrode lead wire and expose the electrode sensing area, and curing the insulating ink to obtain the insulating layer; and partially converting the silver layer of the electrode sensing area into a silver chloride layer by electrochemical chlorination.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein: the baking temperature of the electrode conductive paste is 70-100°C, and the baking time is 20-30 minutes; and the baking temperature of the conductive silver paste is 70-120°C, and the baking time is 10-30 minutes.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein, The electrochemical chlorination uses cyclic voltammetry, wherein the cyclic voltammetry is performed in a three-electrode system, and the electrode sensing area is configured as a working electrode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The number of scanning cycles in the cyclic voltammetry is adjusted to control the ratio of silver / silver chloride, wherein the ratio of silver / silver chloride is 3:1 to 5:

1.

10. Use of the screen-printed sensor of any one of claims 1-5, wherein: the sensor is connected with an external circuit module, a non-sensing part of the sensor is waterproof packaged, the sensor is deployed in an underwater environment, and the sensor is used to detect an electric field signal in the underwater environment.

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