Stress-deconcentrated ultrasensitive strain sensor with hydrogen-bonding-tuned fracture resilience for robust biomechanical monitoring

TLDR: In this article , a stress-deconcentrated ultra-sensitive strain (SDUS) sensor with ultrahigh sensitivity (gauge factor up to 2.3 × 106) and a wide working range (0% −50%) via incorporating notch-insensitive elastic substrate and micro-crack-tunable conductive layer was developed.

Abstract: Recently, rapid advances in flexible strain sensors have broadened their application scenario in monitoring of various mechanophysiological signals. Among various strain sensors, the crack-based strain sensors have drawn increasing attention in monitoring subtle mechanical deformation due to their high sensitivity. However, early generation and rapid propagation of cracks in the conductive sensing layer result in a narrow working range, limiting their application in monitoring large biomechanical signals. Herein, we developed a stress-deconcentrated ultrasensitive strain (SDUS) sensor with ultrahigh sensitivity (gauge factor up to 2.3 × 106) and a wide working range (0%–50%) via incorporating notch-insensitive elastic substrate and micro-crack-tunable conductive layer. Furthermore, the highly elastic amine-based polymer-modified polydimethylsiloxane substrate without obvious hysteresis endows our SDUS sensor with a rapid response time (2.33 ms) to external stimuli. The accurate detection of the radial pulse, joint motion, and vocal cord vibration proves the capability of SDUS sensor for healthcare monitoring and human-machine communications.