Carbon nanotube strain sensors with wide dynamic range fabricated on flexible substrates by novel processing techniques

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT) strain sensors on flexible polyimide substrates with novel fabrication techniques have been fabricated. Excimer laser photoablation was used for simultaneous patterning of the CNT layer and the polyimide substrate. A transferring technique utilizing sacrificial etching was used for clear material transfer. Clear patterns free of CNT-polymer composites were made and were successfully transferred to a flexible substrate. The resulting device has a gauge factor of 60, which is comparable to the 50~150 value for silicon strain sensors. The device exhibits a dynamic range of up to 1.5% strain, far superior to the 0.03% of silicon