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Vol. 13 (2021)

Anisotropic, Wrinkled, and Crack-Bridging Structure for Ultrasensitive, Highly Selective Multidirectional Strain Sensors

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-021-00615-5
Heng Zhang
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Dan Liu
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Jeng‑Hun Lee
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Haomin Chen
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Eunyoung Kim
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Xi Shen
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Qingbin Zheng
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Jinglei Yang
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Jang‑Kyo Kim
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Jang‑Kyo Kim

mejkkim@ust.hk

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 13 (2021), Article Number: 122

Abstract

Flexible multidirectional strain sensors are crucial to accurately determining the complex strain states involved in emerging sensing applications. Although considerable efforts have been made to construct anisotropic structures for improved selective sensing capabilities, existing anisotropic sensors suffer from a trade-off between high sensitivity and high stretchability with acceptable linearity. Here, an ultrasensitive, highly selective multidirectional sensor is developed by rational design of functionally different anisotropic layers. The bilayer sensor consists of an aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) array assembled on top of a periodically wrinkled and cracked CNT–graphene oxide film. The transversely aligned CNT layer bridge the underlying longitudinal microcracks to effectively discourage their propagation even when highly stretched, leading to superior sensitivity with a gauge factor of 287.6 across a broad linear working range of up to 100% strain. The wrinkles generated through a pre-straining/releasing routine in the direction transverse to CNT alignment is responsible for exceptional selectivity of 6.3, to the benefit of accurate detection of loading directions by the multidirectional sensor. This work proposes a unique approach to leveraging the inherent merits of two cross-influential anisotropic structures to resolve the trade-off among sensitivity, selectivity, and stretchability, demonstrating promising applications in full-range, multi-axis human motion detection for wearable electronics and smart robotics.


Highlights:


1 Two functionally different anisotropic layers are rationally assembled for highly selective and stretchable multidirectional strain sensors.
2 Concurrently excellent selectivity, sensitivity, stretchability, and linearity up to 100% strain is demonstrated for the first time in a multidirectional strain sensor.
3 A novel stepwise crack propagation mechanism is proposed to enable high stretchability and linearity.

Keywords

Anisotropic strain sensor Wrinkle Aligned carbon nanotube Stretchability Complex motion detection
Zhang, Heng, Dan Liu, Jeng‑Hun Lee, Haomin Chen, Eunyoung Kim, Xi Shen, Qingbin Zheng, Jinglei Yang, and Jang‑Kyo Kim. 2021. “Anisotropic, Wrinkled, and Crack-Bridging Structure for Ultrasensitive, Highly Selective Multidirectional Strain Sensors”. Nano-Micro Letters 13 (May):122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-021-00615-5.
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