Combining High Sensitivity and Dynamic Range: Wearable Thin-Film Composite Strain Sensors of Graphene, Ultrathin Palladium, and PEDOT:PSS

ABSTRACT: Wearable mechanical sensors have the potential to transform healthcare by enabling patient monitoring outside of the clinic. A critical challenge in the development of mechanical—e.g., strain—sensors is the combination of sensitivity, dynamic range, and robustness. This work describes a highly sensitive and robust wearable strain sensor composed of three layered materials: graphene, an ultrathin film of palladium, and highly plasticized PEDOT:PSS. The role of the graphene is to provide a conductive, manipulable substrate for the deposition of palladium. When deposited at low nominal thicknesses (~8 nm) palladium forms a rough, granular film which is highly piezoresistive (i.e., the resistance increases with strain with high sensitivity). The dynamic range of these graphene/palladium films,

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PROVIDER: S-EPMC8023279 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature