Synergistic effects of hybrid conductive nanofillers on the performance of 3D printed highly elastic strain sensors

Xiang, Dong; Zhang, Xuezhong; Harkin-Jones, Eileen; Zhu, Wanqiu; Zhou, Zuoxin; Shen, Yucai; Li, Yuntao; Zhao, Chunxia; Wang, Ping

Abstract

In this work, thermoplastic polyurethane based conductive polymer composites containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were used to fabricate highly elastic strain sensors via fused deposition modeling. The printability of the materials was improved with the introduction of the nanofillers, and the size and content of the AgNPs significantly influenced the sensing performance of the 3D printed sensors. When the CNTs:AgNPs weight ratio was 5:1, the sensors exhibited outstanding performance with high sensitivity (GF = 43260 at 250% strain), high linearity (R 2 = 0.97 within 50% strain), fast response (~57 ms), and excellent repeatability (1000 cycles) due to synergistic effects. A modeling study based on the Simmons' tunneling theory was also undertaken to analyze the sensing mechanism. The sensor was applied to monitor diverse joint movements and facial motion, showing its potential for application in intelligent robots, prosthetics, and wear-able devices where customizability are usually demanded.

Citation

Xiang, D., Zhang, X., Harkin-Jones, E., Zhu, W., Zhou, Z., Shen, Y., Li, Y., Zhao, C., & Wang, P. (2019). Synergistic effects of hybrid conductive nanofillers on the performance of 3D printed highly elastic strain sensors. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 129, Article 105730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2019.105730

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 10, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Dec 16, 2019
• Publication Date: Dec 16, 2019
• Deposit Date: Dec 17, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 17, 2020
• Journal: Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
• Print ISSN: 1359-835X
• Electronic ISSN: 1878-5840
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 129
• Article Number: 105730
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2019.105730
• Keywords: Mechanics of Materials; Ceramics and Composites
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3587478
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359835X19304798?via%3Dihub