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Updated: May 24, 2026

Strain Sensing Based on Multiscale Composite Materials Reinforced with Graphene Nanoplatelets
Published on: November 7, 2016
A highly elastic, capacitive strain gauge based on percolating nanotube networks
Daniel J Cohen1, Debkishore Mitra, Kevin Peterson
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. daniel.cohen@berkeley.edu
Abstract:
We present a highly elastic strain gauge based on capacitive sensing of parallel, carbon nanotube-based percolation electrodes separated by a dielectric elastomer. The fabrication, relying on vacuum filtration of single-walled carbon nanotubes and hydrophobic patterning of silicone, is both rapid and inexpensive. We demonstrate reliable, linear performance over thousands of cycles at up to 100% strain with less than 3% variability and the highest reported gauge factor for a device of this class (0.99). We further demonstrate use of this sensor in a robotics context to transduce joint angles.
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Measurements of Strain
Design Example: Strain Gauge Bridge or Wheatstone Bridge

