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Multifunctional wearable strain/pressure sensor based on conductive carbon nanotubes/silk nonwoven fabric with high durability and low detection limit

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Abstract

With the rapid development of flexible wearable strain sensor systems, electronic textiles with comfort and controllable strain/pressure-sensing capabilities have attracted great interest. However, it is still a great challenge to prepare multifunctional wearable strain/pressure sensor with an ultra-low detection limit through a facile and cost-effective method. Here, conductive carbon nanotubes modified silk nonwoven fabric (CNTs/SNWF) composite was successfully prepared by the surface micro-dissolution and adhesion technology (SD&AT). Micromorphology analysis showed that CNTs were adhered firmly on the surface of silk fiber to form an effective conductive network. The conductive CNTs/SNWF-based strain/pressure sensor can detect a strain as low as 0.05% and an ultralow pressure of 10 Pa, showing an ultrahigh discernibility. Besides, it also exhibited excellent sensing stability and reproductivity under different conditions, making it applicable in the field of real-time human movement monitoring. Moreover, electronic skin was also established based on the conductive CNTs/SNWF to recognize different tactile stimulus. Interestingly, the prepared conductive CNTs/SNWF also displayed great applicability for optical and thermal sensing, endowing it with more functionality for next-generation wearable electronics.

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Funding

The research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO: U1604253, NO: 51803191), Key Scientific and Technological Project of Henan Province—China (202102210038, 202102210043), the Student Research Training Plan of Henan University of Science and Technology—China (2021144), and Taif University Researchers Supporting Project (TURSP-2020/158), Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemical Engineering and Pharmaceutics, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, 471023, People’s Republic of China

    Yuxin He, Mengyang Zhou, Xushen Lu, Guanyu He & Qiang Lei

  2. Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Mold, Ministry of Education, National Engineering Research Center for Advanced Polymer Processing Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450002, People’s Republic of China

    Yuxin He, Hu Liu & Chuntai Liu

  3. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia

    M. H. H. Mahmoud

  4. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal University, Luoyang, 471934, Henan, China

    Li Zhang

  5. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China

    Mina Huang

  6. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia

    Ashraf Y. Elnaggar & Islam H. El Azab

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  1. Yuxin He
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  2. Mengyang Zhou
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  3. M. H. H. Mahmoud
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  4. Xushen Lu
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  5. Guanyu He
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  6. Li Zhang
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  10. Hu Liu
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He, Y., Zhou, M., Mahmoud, M.H.H. et al. Multifunctional wearable strain/pressure sensor based on conductive carbon nanotubes/silk nonwoven fabric with high durability and low detection limit. Adv Compos Hybrid Mater 5, 1939–1950 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-022-00525-z

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