Fishbone and nettle fiber inspired stretchable strain sensor with high sensitivity and wide sensing range for wearable electronics

Abstract

Stretchable strain sensors have recently gained significant attention for their potential applications in wearable electronics and human–computer interaction. However, the preparation of strain sensors with a wide sensing range, superior sensitivity, and fast response still faces challenges. Here, a bionic stretchable strain sensor (BSSS) is designed and prepared with a fishbone structure and nettle fibers selected as coupled bionic prototypes, utilizing multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene synergistically in a silicone rubber matrix. Experiments show that the prepared BSSS exhibits a sensitivity of 97.017 in the 120 %-150 % strain range and a lower limit of strain detection of 0.2 %. Particularly, the BSSS possesses a response/recovery time of 60 ms/90 ms, and it also exhibits superior stability. Given the outstanding sensing performance of the BSSS, it can be applied in wearable electronics for sign language recognition, Morse code recognition, and human motion monitoring. This work presents an idea for the design of next-generation wearable electronics.