Abstract
This study presents the design and fabrication of a flexible tactile sensor printed on a cellulose paper substrate using a carbon black (CB) – filled polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer matrix as ink material. In the design, electrodes are obtained by screen printing of CB/PVA composite on dielectric cellulose paper. The screen-printing method is preferred for fabrication because of its simplicity and low manufacturing cost. The tactile sensor is formed by overlapping two ink-printed sheets. Electrical properties are investigated under compressive and tensile strains. The results indicate that the tactile sensor configuration and materials can be used for piezoresistive, capacitive, and also impedance sensors. The same tactile sensor structure is also examined using a commercial carbon-based ink for performance comparison. The comparative study indicates that CB/PVA ink screen-printed on paper demonstrates superior sensitivity for capacitive sensing with low hysteresis, as well as low response and recovery times. The piezoresistive-sensing properties of CB/PVA on cellulose paper show a gauge factor (GF) of 10.68, which is also very promising when conventional metal strain gauges are considered. CB/PVA screen-printed on cellulose paper features impedance-sensing properties and is also sensitive to the measurement frequency. Therefore, the response type of the sensor can be altered with the frequency.
Highlights
Flexible strain sensors are of great interest in wearable electronics and electronic skin applications, because of their flexibility, and their high sensitivity and simple process flow
Before conducting detailed research on the tactile sensor design, we evaluated the electrical
Before conducting detailed research on the tactile sensor design, we evaluated the electrical properties of carbon black (CB)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite ink on a cellulose paper as a simple flexible strain sensor
Summary
Flexible strain sensors are of great interest in wearable electronics and electronic skin applications, because of their flexibility, and their high sensitivity and simple process flow. Strain sensors detect changes in electrical properties, such as capacitance, resistance, or impedance, induced by applied mechanical stimulus. Depending on applications, they are classified as tactile or pressure sensors. Critical parameters for evaluating the performance and flexibility of strain sensors are precision, simplicity of structure, low cost, and flexibility. All these criteria highly depend on materials and process methods used for manufacturing. Sensor fabrication has gained momentum, and the importance of more effective materials in driving the sensor market is undeniable
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