Parallel microcracks-based ultrasensitive and highly stretchable strain sensors

Amjadi, M. , Turan, M., Clementson, C. P. and Sitti, M. (2016) Parallel microcracks-based ultrasensitive and highly stretchable strain sensors. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 8(8), pp. 5618-5626. (doi: 10.1021/acsami.5b12588) (PMID:26842553)

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for flexible, skin-attachable, and wearable strain sensors due to their various potential applications. However, achieving strain sensors with both high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a grand challenge. Here, we propose highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensors based on the reversible microcrack formation in composite thin films. Controllable parallel microcracks are generated in graphite thin films coated on elastomer films. Sensors made of graphite thin films with short microcracks possess high gauge factors (maximum value of 522.6) and stretchability (ε ≥ 50%), whereas sensors with long microcracks show ultrahigh sensitivity (maximum value of 11 344) with limited stretchability (ε ≤ 50%). We demonstrate the high performance strain sensing of our sensors in both small and large strain sensing applications such as human physiological activity recognition, human body large motion capturing, vibration detection, pressure sensing, and soft robotics.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Amjadi Kolour, Dr Morteza
• Authors: Amjadi, M., Turan, M., Clementson, C. P., and Sitti, M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Journal Name: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 1944-8244
• ISSN (Online): 1944-8252