There is a growing demand for flexible and soft electronic devices. In particular, stretchable, skin-mountable, and wearable strain sensors are needed for several potential applications including personalized health-monitoring, human motion detection, human-machine interfaces, soft robotics, and so forth. This Feature Article presents recent advancements in the development of flexible and stretchable strain sensors. The article shows that highly stretchable strain sensors are successfully being developed by new mechanisms such as disconnection between overlapped nanomaterials, crack propagation in thin films, and tunneling effect, different from traditional strain sensing mechanisms. Strain sensing performances of recently reported strain sensors are comprehensively studied and discussed, showing that appropriate choice of composite structures as well as suitable interaction between functional nanomaterials and polymers are essential for the high performance strain sensing. Next, simulation results of piezoresistivity of stretchable strain sensors by computational models are reported. Finally, potential applications of flexible strain sensors are described. This survey reveals that flexible, skin-mountable, and wearable strain sensors have potential in diverse applications while several grand challenges have to be still overcome.

Stretchable, Skin-Mountable, and Wearable Strain Sensors and Their Potential Applications: A Review

The demand for flexible and wearable electronic devices is increasing due to their facile interaction with human body. Flexible, stretchable and wearable sensors can be easily mounted on clothing or directly attached onto the body. Especially, highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensors are needed for the human motion detection. Here, we report highly flexible, stretchable and sensitive strain sensors based on the nanocomposite of silver nanowire (AgNW) network and PDMS elastomer in the form of the sandwich structure (i.e., AgNW thin film embedded between two layers of PDMS). The AgNW network-elastomer nanocomposite based strain sensors show strong piezoresistivity with tunable gauge factors in the ranges of 2 to 14 and a high stretchability up to 70%. We demonstrate the applicability of our high performance strain sensors by fabricating a glove integrated with five strain sensors for the motion detection of fingers and control of an avatar in the virtual environment.

Highly Stretchable and Sensitive Strain Sensor Based on Silver Nanowire–Elastomer Nanocomposite

Flexible and stretchable physical sensors that can measure and quantify electrical signals generated by human activities are attracting a great deal of attention as they have unique characteristics, such as ultrathinness, low modulus, light weight, high flexibility, and stretchability. These flexible and stretchable physical sensors conformally attached on the surface of organs or skin can provide a new opportunity for human-activity monitoring and personal healthcare. Consequently, in recent years there has been considerable research effort devoted to the development of flexible and stretchable physical sensors to fulfill the requirements of future technology, and much progress has been achieved. Here, the most recent developments of flexible and stretchable physical sensors are described, including temperature, pressure, and strain sensors, and flexible and stretchable sensor-integrated platforms. The latest successful examples of flexible and stretchable physical sensors for the detection of temperature, pressure, and strain, as well as their novel structures, technological innovations, and challenges, are reviewed first. In the next section, recent progress regarding sensor-integrated wearable platforms is overviewed in detail. Some of the latest achievements regarding self-powered sensor-integrated wearable platform technologies are also reviewed. Further research direction and challenges are also proposed to develop a fully sensor-integrated wearable platform for monitoring human activity and personal healthcare in the near future.

Flexible and Stretchable Physical Sensor Integrated Platforms for Wearable Human-Activity Monitoringand Personal Healthcare.

Nanotechnology in concrete – A review

Flexible electronics offer a wide-variety of applications such as flexible circuits, flexible displays, flexible solar cells, skin-like pressure sensors, and conformable RFID tags. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a promising material for flexible electronics, both as the channel material in field-effect transistors (FETs) and as transparent electrodes, due to their high intrinsic carrier mobility, conductivity, and mechanical flexibility. In this feature article, we review the recent progress of CNTs in flexible electronics by describing both the processing and the applications of CNT-based flexible devices. To employ CNTs as the channel material in FETs, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are used. There are generally two methods of depositing SWNTs on flexible substrates—transferring CVD-grown SWNTs or solution-depositing SWNTs. Since CVD-grown SWNTs can be highly aligned, they often outperform solution-processed SWNT films that are typically in the form of random network. However, solution-based SWNTs can be printed at a large-scale and at low-cost, rendering them more appropriate for manufacturing. In either case, the removal of metallic SWNTs in an effective and a scalable manner is critical, which must still be developed and optimized. Nevertheless, promising results demonstrating SWNT-based flexible circuits, displays, RF-devices, and biochemical sensors have been reported by various research groups, proving insight into the exciting possibilities of SWNT-based FETs. In using carbon nanotubes as transparent electrodes (TEs), two main strategies have been implemented to fabricate highly conductive, transparent, and mechanically compliant films—superaligned films of CNTs drawn from vertically grown CNT forests using the “dry-drawing” technique and the deposition or embedding of CNTs onto flexible or stretchable substrates. The main challenge for CNT based TEs is to fabricate films that are both highly conductive and transparent. These CNT based TEs have been used in stretchable and flexible pressure, strain, and chemical and biological sensors. In addition, they have also been used as the anode and cathode in flexible light emitting diodes, solar cells, and supercapacitors. In summary, there are a number of challenges yet to overcome to optimize the processing and performance of CNT-based flexible electronics; nonetheless, CNTs remain a highly suitable candidate for various flexible electronic applications in the near future.

A review of fabrication and applications of carbon nanotube film-based flexible electronics

In this study, the piezoresistive properties of CNT (Carbon Nanotube)/EPDM composite are characterized for the applications of a flexible sensor. The CNT/EPDM composites were prepared by using a Brabender mixer with MWCNT (Multi-walled Carbon Nanotube) and organoclay. The static and quasi-dynamic voltage output responses of the composite sensor were also experimentally studied and were compared with those of a conventional foil strain gage. The voltage output by using a signal processing system was fairly stable and it shows somehow linear responses at both of loading and unloading cases with hysteresis. The voltage output was distorted under a quasi-dynamic test due to its unsymmetrical piezoresistive characteristics. The CNT/EPDM sensor showed quite tardy response to its settling time test under static deflections and that would be a hurdle for its real time applications. Furthermore, since the CNT/EPDM sensor does not have directional voltage output to tension and compression, it only could be utilized as a mono-directional force sensor such as a compressive touch sensor.

Strain Sensing Characteristics of Rubbery Carbon Nanotube Composite for Flexible Sensors.

Electrically conducting rubber composites (CRC) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) filler have received much attention as
potential materials for sensors. In this work, Ethylene propylene diene M-class rubber (EPDM)/CNT composites as a
novel nano sensory material were prepared to develop flexible strain sensors that can measure large deformation of
flexible structures. The EPDM/CNT composites were prepared by using a Brabender mixer with multi-walled CNTs and
organo-clay. A strain sensor made of EPDM/CNT composite was attached to the surface of a flexible beam and change
of resistance of the strain sensor was measured with respect to the beam deflection. Resistance of the sensor was change
quite linearly under the bending and compressive large beam deflection. Upon external forces, CRC deformation takes
place with the micro scale change of inter-electrical condition in rubber matrix due to the change of contact resistance,
and CRC reveals macro scale piezoresistivity. It is anticipated that the CNT/EPDM fibrous strain sensor can be eligible
to develop a biomimetic artificial neuron that can continuously sense deformation, pressure and shear force.

Flexible strain sensor based on carbon nanotube rubber composites

We presented a novel impact paint sensor made of piezoresistive nano-carbon composites and studied its characteristics. The paint sensors were fabricated with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), exfoliated graphite nano-platelets (xGnP), and a hybrid type of the two nano-carbon fillers and were sprayed onto a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic panel for lab testing. In ball drop impact test, the MWCNT-xGnP-based hybrid sensor showed the best characteristics in impact energy sensing within the range 0.07–1.0 J. We also studied the piezoresistive mechanism due to dimensional variations of nano carbon isotopes for sensor design. Piezorestivity of nano-carbon sensor was significantly dominated the electrical contact variation of the electrical fillers in a matrix. This study is expected to provide a feasibility test for designing impact paint sensors with optimized sensitivity for a composite structural health monitoring.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-665X/aafbd9/pdf

Impact paint sensor based on polymer/multi-dimension carbon nano isotopes composites

For way-point tracking of an autonomous underwater vehicle, a state feedback controller was designed by using pole placement scheme in discrete time domain. In the controller, 4 state variables were used for regulating the depth of the vehicle in z direction, and 3 state variables, for steering the vehicle in xy plane. Assuming constant speed of AUV, we simplified the design of the way-point tracking system. The proposed controller was simulated by MATLAB/Simulink using 6 degree-of-freedom nonlinear model and its performance of way point tracking was shown to be fulfilled within 1 m, nevertheless the proposed controller is quite simple and easy to implement compared to sliding mode controller.

/pdf/a-study-on-way-point-tracking-of-auv-using-state-feedback-23wsnl0zbn.pdf

A Study on Way-Point Tracking of AUV using State Feedback

A facile route for grafting poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) on to the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was demonstrated via Diels-Alder (DA) “click” reaction. Firstly, block copolymers o...

Inpil Kang

Papers

Strain Sensing Characteristics of Rubbery Carbon Nanotube Composite for Flexible Sensors.

Flexible strain sensor based on carbon nanotube rubber composites

Impact paint sensor based on polymer/multi-dimension carbon nano isotopes composites

A Study on Way-Point Tracking of AUV using State Feedback

Direct grafting imidazolium-based poly(ionic liquid) onto multiwalled carbon nanotubes via Diels-Alder “click” reaction