Abstract
Solution-based direct patterning on an elastomer substrate with meniscus-dragging deposition (MDD) enables fabrication of very thin carbon nanotube (CNT) layers in the nanometer scale (80–330 nm). To fabricate the CNT pattern with CNT solution, contact angle, electrical variation, mechanical stress, and surface cracks of elastomer substrate were analyzed to identify the optimal conditions of O2 treatment (treatment for 30 s with RF power of 50 W in O2 atmosphere of 50 sccm) and mixture ratio between Ecoflex and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) (Ecoflex:PDMS = 5:1). The type of mask for patterning of the CNT layer was determined through quantitative analysis for sharpness and uniformity of the fabricated CNT pattern. Through these optimization processes, the CNT pattern was produced on the elastomer substrate with selected mask (30 μm thick oriented polypropylene). The thickness of CNT pattern was also controlled to have hundreds nanometer and 500 μm wide rectangular and circular shapes were demonstrated. Furthermore, the change in the current and resistance of the CNT layer according to the applied strain on the elastomer substrate was analyzed. Our results demonstrated the potential of the MDD method for direct CNT patterning with high uniformity and the possibility to fabricate a stretchable sensor.
Highlights
Over the past few years, the stretchability of a sensor has been considered as one of the significant properties for implementing various technologies such as wearable electronics, artificial muscles, human motion monitoring, and electronic skins [1,2,3]
After the O2 plasma treatment, the current of the deposited carbon nanotube (CNT) layer according to the applied voltage was measured to predict the uniform formation of a CNT layer followed by the plasma treatment
O2 plasma treatment was applied to a CNT pattern in several hundreds of nanometers thickness and placed on an elastomer substrate, and optimized to obtain a hydrophilic elastomer substrate
Summary
Over the past few years, the stretchability of a sensor has been considered as one of the significant properties for implementing various technologies such as wearable electronics, artificial muscles, human motion monitoring, and electronic skins [1,2,3] Owing to this trend, many researchers have attempted to create stretchable sensors with good performance, such as high stretchability and reproducibility. Conductive polymers, metallic fillers, graphene, and carbon nanotube (CNT) are representative examples of such materials [12] These materials have a very low thickness and can be coated as a single layer on elastic polymers, resulting in strong adhesion to the polymers. The performance of the CNT-based stretchable sensors depends on the uniformity of the entangled CNT network, which is determined by the fabrication method of the CNT layer, especially by coating and patterning processes
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