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Highly Sensitive and Stretchable Resistive Strain Sensors Based on Microstructured Metal Nanowire/Elastomer Composite Films
Author(s) -
Kim KangHyun,
Jang NamSu,
Ha SungHun,
Cho Ji Hwan,
Kim JongMan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201704232
Subject(s) - materials science , gauge factor , elastomer , composite number , resistive touchscreen , nanowire , percolation (cognitive psychology) , composite material , strain gauge , nanotechnology , coating , deformation (meteorology) , optoelectronics , fabrication , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , neuroscience , electrical engineering , biology , engineering
High sensitivity and high stretchability are two conflicting characteristics that are difficult to achieve simultaneously in elastic strain sensors. A highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensor comprising a microstructured metal nanowire (mNW)/elastomer composite film is presented. The surface structure is easily prepared by combining an mNW coating and soft‐lithographic replication processes in a simple and reproducible manner. The densely packed microprism‐array architecture of the composite film leads to a large morphological change in the mNW percolation network by efficiently concentrating the strain in the valley regions upon stretching. Meanwhile, the percolation network comprising mNWs with a high aspect ratio is stable enough to prevent electrical failure, even under high strains. This enables the sensor to simultaneously satisfy high sensitivity (gauge factor ≈81 at >130% strain) and high stretchability (150%) while ensuring long‐term reliability (10 000 cycles at 150% strain). The sensor can also detect strain induced by bending and pressure, thus demonstrating its potential as a versatile sensing tool. The sensor is successfully utilized to monitor a wide range of human motions in real time. Furthermore, the unique sensing mechanism is easily extended to detect more complex multiaxial strains by optimizing the surface morphology of the device.