High-performance strain sensor for detection of human motion and subtle strain by facile fabrication

Abstract

Flexible strain sensors are significant components for smart wearable electronic devices because of wide applications. However, the design and construction of high-performance strain sensors through facile fabrication remains a challenge. In this study, we designed a simple and high-performance flexible strain sensor based on gold nanoparticles and a polyimide substrate. The fabrication included drop-casting and high-temperature annealing, enhancing the connections between the nanoparticles. The results reveal that the sensor can sensitively detect subtle strains (GF = 19.94). It exhibits excellent linearity (R2 = 0.99) when sensing outward bending strain and low power consumption (<2.5 mW). Furthermore, it can be adhered to human skin to detect human physiological parameters. The strain sensor can detect the angles of the cervical vertebra in different bending states. It can show the distinctions of artery pulse waveforms at different conditions (before and after exercise) and in people (pregnant and unpregnant) with a high precision.