3 research outputs found
Highly Sensitive and Very Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on a Rubbery Semiconductor
There is a growing interest in developing
stretchable strain sensors to quantify the large mechanical deformation
and strain associated with the activities for a wide range of species,
such as humans, machines, and robots. Here, we report a novel stretchable
strain sensor entirely in a rubber format by using a solution-processed
rubbery semiconductor as the sensing material to achieve high sensitivity,
large mechanical strain tolerance, and hysteresis-less and highly
linear responses. Specifically, the rubbery semiconductor exploits π–π
stacked polyÂ(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) nanofibrils (P3HT-NFs) percolated
in silicone elastomer of polyÂ(dimethylsiloxane) to yield semiconducting
nanocomposite with a large mechanical stretchability, although P3HT
is a well-known nonstretchable semiconductor. The fabricated strain
sensors exhibit reliable and reversible sensing capability, high gauge
factor (gauge factor = 32), high linearity (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.996), and low hysteresis (degree of hysteresis <12%)
responses at the mechanical strain of up to 100%. A strain sensor
in this format can be scalably manufactured and implemented as wearable
smart gloves. Systematic investigations in the materials design and
synthesis, sensor fabrication and characterization, and mechanical
analysis reveal the key fundamental and application aspects of the
highly sensitive and very stretchable strain sensors entirely from
rubbers
Digital Light Processing 4D Printing of Poloxamer Micelles for Facile Fabrication of Multifunctional Biocompatible Hydrogels as Tailored Wearable Sensors
The lack of both digital light processing (DLP) compatible
and
biocompatible photopolymers, along with inappropriate material properties
required for wearable sensor applications, substantially hinders the
employment of DLP 3D printing in the fabrication of multifunctional
hydrogels. Herein, we discovered and implemented a photoreactive poloxamer
derivative, Pluronic F-127 diacrylate, which overcomes these limitations
and is optimized to achieve DLP 3D printed micelle-based hydrogels
with high structural complexity, resolution, and precision. In addition,
the dehydrated hydrogels exhibit a shape-memory effect and are conformally
attached to the geometry of the detection point after rehydration,
which implies the 4D printing characteristic of the fabrication process
and is beneficial for the storage and application of the device. The
excellent cytocompatibility and in vivo biocompatibility
further strengthen the potential application of the poloxamer micelle-based
hydrogels as a platform for multifunctional wearable systems. After
processing them with a lithium chloride (LiCl) solution, multifunctional
conductive ionic hydrogels with antifreezing and antiswelling properties
along with good transparency and water retention are easily prepared.
As capacitive flexible sensors, the DLP 3D printed micelle-based hydrogel
devices exhibit excellent sensitivity, cycling stability, and durability
in detecting multimodal deformations. Moreover, the DLP 3D printed
conductive hydrogels are successfully applied as real-time human motion
and tactile sensors with satisfactory sensing performances even in
a −20 °C low-temperature environment
Digital Light Processing 4D Printing of Poloxamer Micelles for Facile Fabrication of Multifunctional Biocompatible Hydrogels as Tailored Wearable Sensors
The lack of both digital light processing (DLP) compatible
and
biocompatible photopolymers, along with inappropriate material properties
required for wearable sensor applications, substantially hinders the
employment of DLP 3D printing in the fabrication of multifunctional
hydrogels. Herein, we discovered and implemented a photoreactive poloxamer
derivative, Pluronic F-127 diacrylate, which overcomes these limitations
and is optimized to achieve DLP 3D printed micelle-based hydrogels
with high structural complexity, resolution, and precision. In addition,
the dehydrated hydrogels exhibit a shape-memory effect and are conformally
attached to the geometry of the detection point after rehydration,
which implies the 4D printing characteristic of the fabrication process
and is beneficial for the storage and application of the device. The
excellent cytocompatibility and in vivo biocompatibility
further strengthen the potential application of the poloxamer micelle-based
hydrogels as a platform for multifunctional wearable systems. After
processing them with a lithium chloride (LiCl) solution, multifunctional
conductive ionic hydrogels with antifreezing and antiswelling properties
along with good transparency and water retention are easily prepared.
As capacitive flexible sensors, the DLP 3D printed micelle-based hydrogel
devices exhibit excellent sensitivity, cycling stability, and durability
in detecting multimodal deformations. Moreover, the DLP 3D printed
conductive hydrogels are successfully applied as real-time human motion
and tactile sensors with satisfactory sensing performances even in
a −20 °C low-temperature environment