Gold Nanoparticle Thin Film-Based Strain Sensors for Monitoring Human Pulse

Abstract

A concise and economical way to build nanoparticle thin-film strain sensors of high gauge factors on a flexible polydimethylsiloxane substrate is developed. The gauge factors for resistance change and capacitance change are much larger than those of many other competing sensors. The small bulk modulus of the substrate provides the sensor a large responsivity for pressure with a frequency bandwidth of kHz. It can be used for tactile sensing that is capable of monitoring human pulse for pre-clinical diagnosis, by resolving minor structures such as peaks of dicrotic pulse and before dicrotic pulse in the waveforms.