1. Highly stretchable and ultrathin nanopaper composites for epidermal strain sensors.
- Author
-
Sun J, Zhao Y, Yang Z, Shen J, Cabrera E, Lertola MJ, Yang W, Zhang D, Benatar A, Castro JM, Wu D, and Lee LJ
- Subjects
- Dimethylpolysiloxanes chemistry, Electric Conductivity, Humans, Motion, Nanotubes, Carbon ultrastructure, Stress, Mechanical, Thermogravimetry, Epidermis physiology, Nanotubes, Carbon chemistry, Paper
- Abstract
Multifunctional electronics are attracting great interest with the increasing demand and fast development of wearable electronic devices. Here, we describe an epidermal strain sensor based on an all-carbon conductive network made from multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) impregnated with poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) matrix through a vacuum filtration process. An ultrasonication treatment was performed to complete the penetration of PDMS resin in seconds. The entangled and overlapped MWCNT network largely enhances the electrical conductivity (1430 S m
-1 ), uniformity (remaining stable on different layers), reliable sensing range (up to 80% strain), and cyclic stability of the strain sensor. The homogeneous dispersion of MWCNTs within the PDMS matrix leads to a strong interaction between the two phases and greatly improves the mechanical stability (ca. 160% strain at fracture). The flexible, reversible and ultrathin (<100 μm) film can be directly attached on human skin as epidermal strain sensors for high accuracy and real-time human motion detection.- Published
- 2018
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