Tuning the electromechanical performance in piezoresistive composite strain sensors is primarily attained through appropriately employing the materials system and the fabrication process. High sensitivity along with flexibility in the strain sensing devices needs to be met according to the application (e.g. human motion detection, health and sports monitoring). In this paper, a highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensor with a low-cost fabrication is proposed which is acquired by embedding the chopped carbon fibers sandwiched in between silicone rubber layers. The electrical and mechanical features of the sensor were characterized through stretch/release loading tests where a considerably high sensitivity (the gauge factor about 100) was observed with very low hysteresis. This implies high strain reversibility (i.e. full recovery in each cycle) over 700 loading cycles. Moreover, the sensors exhibited ultra-high stretchability (up to ∼300% elongation) in addition to a low stiffness meaning minimal mechanical effects induced by the sensor for sensitive human motion monitoring applications including large and small deformations. The results suggest the promising capability of the present sensor in reflecting the human body motion detection.
BenlikayaREgeYPündükZ, et al.Can a wearable strain sensor based on a carbon nanotube network be an alternative to an isokinetic dynamometer for the measurement of knee-extensor muscle strength?. Meas Sci Technol2017, pp. 28.
2.
SonDLeeJQiaoS, et al.Multifunctional wearable devices for diagnosis and therapy of movement disorders. Nat Nanotechnol2014; 9: 397–404.
3.
EshghiATLeeSSadoughiMK, et al.Design optimization under uncertainty and speed variability for a piezoelectric energy harvester powering a tire pressure monitoring sensor. Smart Mater Struct2017; 26: 105037.
4.
KwakYHKimWParkKB, et al.Flexible heartbeat sensor for wearable device. Biosensor Bioelectron2017; 94: 250–255.
5.
KimJLeeMShimHJ, et al.Stretchable silicon nanoribbon electronics for skin prosthesis. Nat Commun2014; 5: 1–11.
6.
RohEHwangBKimD, et al.Stretchable, transparent, ultrasensitive, and patchable strain sensor for human–machine interfaces comprising a nanohybrid of carbon nanotubes and conductive elastomers. ACS Nano2015; 9: 6252–6261.
7.
YamadaTHayamizuYYamamotoY, et al.A stretchable carbon nanotube strain sensor for human-motion detection. Nat Nanotechnol2011; 6: 296–301.
8.
YaoSZhuY. Wearable multifunctional sensors using printed stretchable conductors made of silver nanowires. Nanoscale2014; 6: 2345–2352.
9.
AtalayOAtalayAGaffordJ, et al.A highly stretchable capacitive-based strain sensor based on metal deposition and laser rastering. Adv Mater Technol2017; 2: 1700081.
10.
YaoSLuisVXiaogangH, et al.A novel finger kinematic tracking method based on skin-like wearable strain sensors. IEEE Sens J2018; 18: 3010–3015.
11.
WhiteELCaseJCKramerRK. Multi-element strain gauge modules for soft sensory skins. IEEE Sens J2016; 16: 2607–2616.
12.
YanYSencadasVZhangJ, et al.Processing, characterisation and electromechanical behaviour of elastomeric multiwall carbon nanotubes-poly (glycerol sebacate) nanocomposites for piezoresistive sensors applications. Compos Sci Technol2017; 142: 163–170.
13.
YuX-GLiY-QZhuW-B, et al.A wearable strain sensor based on a carbonized nano-sponge/silicone composite for human motion detection. Nanoscale2017; 9: 6680–6685.
14.
ChristJFHohimerCJAliheidariN, et al.3D printing of highly elastic strain sensors using polyurethane/multiwall carbon nanotube composites. Int Soc Optics Photonics2017; 10168: 7 .
15.
LiuHDongMHuangW, et al.Lightweight conductive graphene/thermoplastic polyurethane foams with ultrahigh compressibility for piezoresistive sensing. J Mater Chem C2017; 5: 73–83.
16.
NakamuraAHamanishiTKawakamiS, et al.A piezo-resistive graphene strain sensor with a hollow cylindrical geometry. Mater Sci Eng B Solid-State Mater Adv Technol2017; 219: 20–27.
17.
AmjadiMPichitpajongkitALeeS, et al.Highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensor based on silver-elastomer nanocomposite. ACS Nano2014; 8: 5154–5163.
18.
KimSRKimJHParkJW. Wearable and transparent capacitive strain sensor with high sensitivity based on patterned ag nanowire networks. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces2017; 9: 26407–26416.
19.
BowlandCCWangYNaskarAK, et al.Development of nanoparticle embedded sizing for enhanced structural health monitoring of carbon fiber composites. Int Soc Optics Photonics2017; 10169: 1–7.
20.
KalashnykNFaulquesESchjødt-ThomsenJ, et al.Strain sensing in single carbon fiber epoxy composites by simultaneous in-situ Raman and piezoresistance measurements. Carbon2016; 109: 124–130.
21.
AmjadiMYoonYJParkI. Ultra-stretchable and skin-mountable strain sensors using carbon nanotubes – ecoflex nanocomposites. Nanotechnology2015; 26: 375501.
22.
RyuSLeePChouJB, et al.Extremely elastic wearable carbon nanotube fiber strain sensor for monitoring of human motion. ACS Nano2015; 9: 5929–5936.
23.
GongXXFeiGTFuWB, et al.Flexible strain sensor with high performance based on PANI/PDMS films. Org Electron2017; 47: 51–56.
24.
WangYWangLYangT, et al.Wearable and highly sensitive graphene strain sensors for human motion monitoring. Adv Funct Mater2014; 24: 4666–4670.
25.
CaiLSongLLuanP, et al.Super-stretchable, transparent carbon nanotube-based capacitive strain sensors for human motion detection. Sci Rep2013; 3: 3048.
26.
Lin F, Yao S, McKnight M, et al. Silver nanowire based wearable sensors for multimodal sensing. In: BioWireleSS 2016 – proceedings, 2016 IEEE topical conference on biomedical wireless technologies, networks, and sensing systems, 2016, Austin, TX, USA, pp.55–58.
Kumbay YildizSMutluRAliciG. Fabrication and characterisation of highly stretchable elastomeric strain sensors for prosthetic hand applications. Sensors Actuat A Phys2016; 247: 514–521.
29.
MuthJTVogtDMTrubyRL, et al.Embedded 3D printing of strain sensors within highly stretchable elastomers. Adv Mater2014; 26: 6307–6312.
30.
CaoXWeiXLiG, et al.Strain sensing behaviors of epoxy nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes under cyclic deformation. Polymer2017; 112: 1–9.
31.
KongJHJangNSKimSH, et al.Simple and rapid micropatterning of conductive carbon composites and its application to elastic strain sensors. Carbon2014; 77: 199–207.
32.
ZhaoJHeCYangR, et al.Ultra-sensitive strain sensors based on piezoresistive nanographene films. Appl Phys Lett2012; 101: 2010–2015.
33.
ZhengYLiYLiZ, et al.The effect of filler dimensionality on the electromechanical performance of polydimethylsiloxane based conductive nanocomposites for flexible strain sensors. Compos Sci Technol2017; 139: 64–73.
34.
OromiehieERajanGPrustyGB. Thermal sensitivity and relaxation of carbon fibre-foam sandwich composites with fibre optic sensors. J Sandw Struct Mater2016; 18: 652–664.
35.
LiuLZhangQZhaoD, et al.Preparation and property research of strain sensor based on PDMS and silver nanomaterials. J Sensors2017; 8.
36.
LiuZQiDGuoP, et al.Thickness-gradient films for high gauge factor stretchable strain sensors. Adv Mater2015; 27: 6230–6237.
37.
AzizkhaniMBKadkhodapourJRastgordaniS, et al.Highly sensitive, stretchable chopped carbon fiber/silicon rubber based sensors for human joint motion detection. Fibers Polym2019; 20(1): 35–44.
38.
Alamusi HuNFukunagaHAtobeS, et al.Piezoresistive strain sensors made from carbon nanotubes based polymer nanocomposites. Sensors2011; 11: 10691–10723.
39.
QinQZhuY. Static friction between silicon nanowires and elastomeric substrates. ACS Nano2011; 5: 7404–7410.
40.
SuhrJKoratkarNKeblinskiP, et al.Viscoelasticity in carbon nanotube composites. Nat Mat2005; 4: 2–5.
41.
HoMDLingYYapLW, et al.Percolating network of ultrathin gold nanowires and silver nanowires toward “invisible” wearable sensors for detecting emotional expression and apexcardiogram. Adv Funct Mater2017; 27: 1–9.
42.
LiJLiWHuangW, et al.Fabrication of highly reinforced and compressible graphene/carbon nanotube hybrid foams via a facile self-assembly process for application as strain sensors and beyond. J Mater Chem C2017; 5: 2723–2730.
