Knitted Cotton Fabric Strain Sensor by In-situ Polymerization of Pyrrole

G B Tseghai,K A Fante,L Van Langenhove,D A Mengistie,B Malengier

doi:10.1088/1757-899x/827/1/012041

G B Tseghai, K A Fante + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/827/1/012041

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Abstract

The purpose of this research work was to develop a textile-based strain sensor. A conductive textile fabric was produced by the coating of knitted cotton fabric with in-situ polymerization of polypyrrole. The sensor consists of a conductive textile as an electrode, stainless steel yarn as interconnection, Arduino Nano as a controller, HC05 Bluetooth module, and a Lithium polymer battery as a power source. For the demonstration, the sensor was placed on the upper arm and bicep stretch was performed. It was observed that the contraction of the arm muscle causes a reduction in resistance of the electrode. Therefore, change in swelling was successfully detected from the increase and drop of resistance during contraction and relaxation of the muscle. This principle could be applied to determine the status of peripheral edema, where the increase in resistance in this work indicates edema is becoming severe.

Highlights

Nowadays, textile materials are relied upon to exhibit extra functionalities other than comfort and durability in accordance with the movement of electronic and computerized correspondence [1]
A conductive textile fabric was produced by the coating of knitted cotton fabric with in-situ polymerization of polypyrrole
We have successfully developed a conductive knitted cotton fabric by in-situ polymerization of polypyrrole which was used to produce a textile-based strain sensor

Summary

Introduction

Textile materials are relied upon to exhibit extra functionalities other than comfort and durability in accordance with the movement of electronic and computerized correspondence [1]. The construction of textile-based sensors i.e. the sensor is a device that acquires a physical quantity and converts it into a signal suitable for processing (mechanical, electrical, optical) to provide a usable output in response to a specific stimulus [2] is booming a buzzword in the field of smart textile materials. Textile based sensors are preferable for wearable applications due to their matching flexibility, light weight and possibility of washing. Applications, where a polymer is applied to conventional textiles to make them conductive and use for an appropriate type of sensing function, are under investigation. Polypyrrole is one of the most explored conducting polymers because of its acceptable electrical conductivity and flexibility [9]

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