Abstract
The development of various flexible and stretchable materials has attracted interest for promising applications in biomedical engineering and electronics industries. This interest in wearable electronics, stretchable circuits, and flexible displays has created a demand for stable, easily manufactured, and cheap materials. However, the construction of flexible and elastic electronics, on which commercial electronic components can be mounted through simple and cost-effective processing, remains challenging. We have developed a nanocomposite of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer. To achieve uniform distributions of CNTs within the polymer, an optimized dispersion process was developed using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and methyl-terminated PDMS in combination with ultrasonication. After vaporizing the IPA, various shapes and sizes can be easily created with the nanocomposite, depending on the mold. The material provides high flexibility, elasticity, and electrical conductivity without requiring a sandwich structure. It is also biocompatible and mechanically stable, as demonstrated by cytotoxicity assays and cyclic strain tests (over 10,000 times). We demonstrate the potential for the healthcare field through strain sensor, flexible electric circuits, and biopotential measurements such as EEG, ECG, and EMG. This simple and cost-effective fabrication method for CNT/PDMS composites provides a promising process and material for various applications of wearable electronics.
Highlights
Recent progress in wireless communication, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and biomedical engineering have enabled continuous monitoring of mental and physical health, which is one of the most important issues for ubiquitous healthcare using mobile devices
carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are highly entangled by van der Waals forces, and the presence of CNTs in large bundles or dense agglomerates can cause uncontrolled electronic alterations and poor performance[22,23,24]
Creating homogeneous distributions of CNTs in the PDMS polymer matrix is necessary for obtaining high electrical performance from CNT/PDMS devices
Summary
Recent progress in wireless communication, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and biomedical engineering have enabled continuous monitoring of mental and physical health, which is one of the most important issues for ubiquitous healthcare using mobile devices. We propose a simple, fast, and cost-effective fabrication method for a homogenously hybridized CNT/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite with high conductivity, stretchability, and flexibility. Creating homogeneous distributions of CNTs in the PDMS polymer matrix is necessary for obtaining high electrical performance from CNT/PDMS devices.
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